Today Was A Fairytale
by SparklingEnchantress
Summary: This is a Sandy Kirsten origin story the moments the show mentioned will be addressed but the rest is purely creative and how I visualized the evolution of their relationship.
1. Coffee

**Chapter 1: Coffee **

It had only been a month. One month since she had aborted her and Jimmy's baby since they both went their separate ways. Jimmy headed to USC while Kirsten headed to UC Berkeley against her fathers wishes and in spite of Jimmy's pleas . Kirsten had just finished her last class of the day and was headed back to her dorm. College was so much different than high school, but also not so different Kirsten discovered. It was different in the sense that no one knew her here and she could in turn be whoever she wanted to be without fear of ridicule she had left that world behind. However, it was the same as high school in the sense of the parties. Growing up in Newport aided Kirsten in knowing how to drink, how to hold her liquor, how to maintain composure, and how not to. She had learned from personal experience after elite extravagant parties when all her friends and her would ditch and hit up someone's parents beach house. The parties at college weren't necessarily elite or extravagant in the least however it was still the same concept drink until you pass out…or something along those lines.

Kirsten had steered clear of parties thus far, making sure that her main focus was on her studies rather than parties and socializing. She had done enough of that growing up. It seemed like every weekend there was some party, some charity event, some excuse for the adults to get together and throw money around so to speak. Being at Berkeley Kirsten felt gave her a chance to start over, a chance for her to put Newport and all her history behind her. But as she would discover you can not bury your history you can not run from it you can only take it and let it strengthen you. In her journey to her dormitory she was stopped in her tracks by a ruggedly handsome dark haired guy. He had piercing dark blue eyes, and was offering her a pamphlet highlighting the candidates of the democratic party for the upcoming election. Their eyes locked briefly as Kirsten gently declined, putting her hand in front of her politely saying _no thanks. _

As she did this he played it off with a joke, "What are you republican? …I hear its hereditary."

All Kirsten had to do was merely nod which confirmed his suspicion, and as she was just about to walk away he stalled her once again.

"Well then here…have a pin on me." The guy said offering her a pin, Kirsten's bright blue eyes glanced down at his hand that was extended towards her offering her the pin. Cautiously she took it from his grip their fingers brushing against one another's.

"I might wear it, but only because its stylish"

Now was his chance he thought take a risk the worst thing she could say was no.

"Well, if you're not much of a pamphlet reader I could take you to coffee tell you all about why Mondale and Ferraro are going to lose."

This statement spiked a curiosity as well as confusion in Kirsten causing her to look up her eyes meeting his holding the eye contact as she asked.

"So, sure they're going to lose then why bother?"

"I don't know.. it feels right… so coffee?"

Kirsten saw his eyes dance as he responded to her question, and as he asked her to coffee she felt herself nod and smile to the invitation. For a moment this guy eased all the thoughts circulating around her mind and gave her hope. Hope that she would maybe someday get over what she had done. He asked if she minded waiting a few minutes so he could shut down the campaign stand. Kirsten shook her head telling him it was fine. Once he had shut down the campaign stand the two began to make their way across campus.

"So, I'm Sandy…Sandy Cohen."

Kirsten smiled softly as he introduced himself.

"Its nice to meet you. I'm Kirsten."

Not daring to drop the dreaded last name, since she was trying to escape living in her fathers shadow.

"Kirsten….?"

Sandy was clearly searching for her last name which caused Kirsten to smirk and shake her head walking in front of him a little. She glanced back and caught his eye saying in a semi-playful tone.

"Why does it matter?"

This statement got a laugh out of Sandy who shrugged his shoulders in mock defeat.

"I guess it doesn't matter…"

Upon this statement the two had reached the small coffee shop. When they got to the door Sandy stepped in front of her and pulled open the door holding it open for her. Kirsten smiled in thanks and walked through the door and into the coffee shop her eyes surveying the other occupants. Reaching the conclusion that this was more of an upper classmen hangout which was probably one of the many reasons why Kirsten didn't know about it. All of a sudden a couple of guys hollered to Sandy referring to him as _Cohen. _Her blue eyes shifted to the table of guys who were calling out to him, and then back to Sandy who laughed and waved over to them before turning to her and saying.

"Please, ignore them"

After he had said this to her Kirsten laughed slightly and shot back in a playful tone.

"Why? Are you afraid they might embarrass you Mr. Popular?"

The way she was acting surprised her a great deal, the way she was flirting with this guy she had only just met shocked her. But she found that there was just something about him and she couldn't help herself. It had only been a month. One month since she aborted her and Jimmy's baby. One month since her and Jimmy broke up. But for the first time since she wasn't thinking about Jimmy or the life they would have led if she had kept the baby. Instead Kirsten was focused solely on the moment at hand with this guy, with Sandy Cohen. If anything Sandy could become a friend, nothing more would come of this, than a friendship right? Before she knew it she was ordering herself a regular coffee with creamers on the side. Just as Kirsten went to pull out her wallet her hand was stopped short by Sandy's much larger one. Her bright blue eyes darted up slowly to meet his eyes when she saw his smile she couldn't help but smile in return.

"Please…let me"

How could she possibly argue with that? She merely nodded and then readjusted her purse on her shoulder suggesting that she would go find them a table. There was some seating outside as well as inside, and after surveying the available seating inside or lack there of Kirsten opted to take a seat at a table in the corner of the outside patio. After he had gotten their coffee's his eyes darted around the coffee shop not spotting Kirsten anywhere caused him to begin to panic ever so slightly. A smile curled his lips once he caught sight of her blonde hair at a table outside. Not wasting anytime Sandy pushed open the door and walked directly over to the table she had stationed herself at handing her the coffee.

"I must say this is the perfect choice for a table"

Hearing the deep voice caused her to shift her eyes away from the scenery and meet his darker ones a smile exchanged between the two of them.

"Thanks, I thought it was too nice outside for us to sit inside."

As she said this he took a sip of his coffee letting the bitter liquid make its way down his throat, nodding in agreement. His eyes watched as she carefully popped the top off of her coffee cup and then opened the creamers slowly emptying the white liquid into her steaming cup of coffee. With the use of a little plastic stir stick Kirsten mixed the creamers into her coffee. While she did this her ocean blue eyes focused on the task at hand. Sandy began to speak and the hues of Kirsten's eyes shifted up securing the lid back onto her coffee cup, lifting it to her lips and taking a long sip. She let the hot liquid glide easily down her throat as the depths of her blue eyes darted across the table taking in every detail of Sandy's features as he rambled on about why Mondale and Ferraro were going to lose. The way his eyes danced as he talked gave her a subtle sense of passion he had and it caused her to smile.

He continued on with his rant and she took a long sip of her coffee nodding to what he was saying. However, as he continued on Kirsten couldn't help but laugh softly before deciding to throw him off slightly.

"Do you always talk this much?"

The moment he heard her angelic voice float through the air between them caused him to smirk slightly his blue eyes glazing over for a second. Realization washing over him that he hadn't really given Kirsten a chance to get a word in until now. It was definitely not something he did purposely because the sound of her voice was something he decided he could get used to listening too.

"And some people find it charming"

Sandy joked which he took note got a delightful laugh from the beautiful girl sitting across the table from him. The depths of his dark blue eyes studied her and as she smiled over at him he matched her smile with one of his own. As she sipped her coffee, Sandy decided enough talk about politics he wanted to get to know this girl.

"So…Where are you from?"

At this time it was his turn to re-wet his throat by taking a sip from his coffee cup while leaning back in his chair. Glancing over at her waiting for her to answer his question. Kirsten glanced over at him sitting a bit straighter in her chair a trait she had acquired growing up in Newport Beach. Her perfect white teeth bit down on her lower lip softly as she tucked a loose strand of her straight blonde hair behind her ear looking over at Sandy replying in a playful tone.

"What's it to you…Cohen?

_Damn, _he thought this girl was really into being mysterious. Or maybe it was merely a wall she was keeping up in order to ensure that she kept others out.

"Is it a crime to want to get to know you?"

The smile that he shot Kirsten's way caused her to shake her head in defeat and smile over at him.

"I grew up in Newport Beach…right here in California. You?"

Kirsten said before lifting her coffee cup and taking a long sip letting her eyes shift around the scenery before falling back onto Sandy as he began to speak.

"Oh, wow…I grew up in New York…the Bronx specifically."

Now it all made sense to her. The moment his voice stopped her earlier that day Kirsten knew he had an accent she just couldn't seem to place it, until now.

"Hmm…New York huh? Why would you want to leave all of that…for this?"

This question Sandy found appealing, this girl clearly had no clue what New York could be like. He shrugged slightly and then smiled.

"Well, Berkeley has lived up to its hype!"

When she heard this it intrigued her and she could not help but beam over at Sandy. It sparked curiosity in Kirsten she found herself wanting to know just why it had lived up to its 'hype' as Sandy had put it. He was an upper classman and she could probably learn a few things from him.

"Oh it has? Whys that?"

His dark blues cast over Kirsten watching her as they both took sips from their coffees. As he saw her set her coffee down on the table he noticed how she let it nuzzle securely in her palms her thumbs absentmindly tracing small circles on the cup, awaiting his response.

"Well, for one I am sitting here having coffee with probably the most beautiful girl I have ever seen…it doesn't get much better than this."

Upon hearing his response Kirsten glanced down blushing ever so softly taking another sip.

"You say that to all the girls don't you?"

Sandy could hear the playfulness in her tone and it caused him to smile. Kirsten watched him smile but quickly shook her head. He suddenly had the urge to reassure her that she was the only one he said that too.

"Not at all…just you. Only you Kirsten…"

Once he had finished his statement Sandy saw her smile softly her eyes meeting his. While the time ticked away Kirsten and Sandy continued their playful banter discussing a wide array of topics: hometowns, majors, hobbies, favorite bands, and many others. The two came to the conclusion that they had absolutely nothing in common. Even above all the differences that stood in their way Sandy truly felt there could be something between them. His mind drifted and he wondered if Kirsten had felt the same.

Later that night Sandy was cursing himself for not getting her last name. They had spent the afternoon in each others company and all he knew was her first name and that she was from Newport Beach among a few other things. But what he knew about her more than likely wasn't going to get him very far. Kirsten could not believe the way she had flirted so easily with this Jewish Law student from the Bronx, who was very politically involved and for the democratic party nonetheless. Sandy Cohen, he was everything different from what she had grown up around, he was witty, driven, a goof ball, and had the most honest pair of dark blue eyes that she ever thought she had seen. It was only her first year at Berkeley, her first semester she most definitely did not want to get attached to a upperclassmen and be one of _those girls_. The girls that fall for their stupid games, and then end up crushed. Shaking the thoughts from her head Kirsten's bright blue eyes cast down over her book. For the first time in a month she wasn't thinking about the fact that she aborted her and Jimmy's child. Her mind was occupied with circulating thoughts of Sandy…Sandy Cohen.


	2. Halloween

A/N: Here is Chapter 2 right away updates will not be this fast in the future. However I already had this chapter done so I figured why not upload it right away. Oh and if you find similarities to other Kandy stories out there it is definitely not intentional so I apologize. The 3rd chapter still needs a little tweaking so it probably will not be up until I'm done with finals. (so possibly in the next 2 weeks) Anyways, I hope some people out there still read these and that you'll enjoy my Kandy origin story.

**Chapter 2: Halloween**

It was the week before the Halloween weekend festivities and Kirsten's roommate Olivia was relentlessly urging her to go to this upperclassmen party with her. After multiple pleas from Olivia, Kirsten finally gave in more so to get her to shut up about it than anything. However then Olivia dropped that small little detail…it was a double date. Paul the guy, who Olivia was dating was going to bring along one of his roommates, and so they figured they would take it upon themselves to set both Kirsten and his roommate up. Once she discovered it was a double date she groaned and shook her head burying herself in her studies until Olivia left to go meet up with Paul. While Kirsten was alone in their dorm her ocean eyes glanced around her desk and noticed a sliver of red. Pushing aside a few papers she found the source of the red color, it was the Mondale and Ferraro pin that Sandy had given her.

A smile slid across her lips as she recalled the day. Shaking the images of him from her brain she realized that their paths had not crossed since that day. It caused her to frown slightly, although what could she expect really? He was an upperclassmen and probably not interested in her at all. Kirsten couldn't deny that she felt something…a spark between her and Sandy that afternoon at the coffee shop. Letting out an exasperated sigh leaning back in her chair her eyes shifted from the pin she was holding and then up to her bulletin board that was filled with pictures of her old life.

At the moment she felt so lost as if she didn't know who she was. However, she did know that she really enjoyed and loved who she was becoming here. Focusing on her studies and deciding for herself what truly made her happy as well as the things she was passionate about. For the first time in her life, Kirsten felt as if she was forging her own path and doing things because she wanted to rather than doing what her father wanted, and what the whole Newport society would expect. Placing the pin back down on her desk Kirsten pushed herself up and out of her chair walking over to her closet which was overflowing, and a complete mess. Surveying her closet deep in thought Kirsten tilted her head and bit down on her lower lip instinctively as she pushed aside a few shirts revealing several dresses. While scrutinizing the dresses Kirsten scrunched up her nose shaking her head.

All of the dresses screamed spoiled brat expect one Kirsten pulled it out and held it up against herself. It was a white dress with a discreet neckline that dipped just low enough to tease and cut off three inches above her knees. The skirt of the dress was flowly and would fall gracefully over her hips once she put it on. In that moment Kirsten decided that she would go to this Halloween party as a Greek goddess. Setting the dress aside she went over to her jewelry box not even bothering to look at the contents of it instead she began to rummage through her hair accessories. She smiled triumphantly when she found a gold elastic headband that she could wear to help complete her outfit. After pulling out the headband she slid it over the hanger so that when the party rolled around she would have her outfit all ready.

Meanwhile Paul was arguing with his roommate, about going out on Halloween.

"Come on man, stop being such a stick in the mud just come out with us…"

Just then Olivia burst through the door smiling before greeting Paul with a kiss and leaning up to whisper to him about the fact that she got her roommate to agree. Sandy rolled his eyes and started to walk away from the two love birds heading towards his room down the hall.

"Sandman, Liv just told me her roommate is going to come so just say yes…you don't want to stand up the poor girl…"

Upon hearing this he shook his head he was really not in the mood to be some girls one night stand or whatever. He was just not wired to open himself up to another girl, to have them rip it all away just like Rebecca had done. Not giving Paul any real answer he disappeared into his room and buried himself into his law books for the rest of the night.

Sandy just needed a distraction, and his law book seemed to be the perfect distraction for him. He knew for a fact that when the weekend rolled around Saturday bringing on Halloween Sandy would let Paul drag him to this party and he would be a gentlemen and turn on the _Sandy Cohen _charm for Olivia's roommate.

Olivia returned to her dorm two hours later to find Kirsten sitting on the floor with a sketch pad sprawled out in front of herself. She looked up greeting her roommate whose eyes shifted over to the white dress that was set aside by Kirsten's bunk.

"What's that?"

Hearing her roommates question Kirsten looked up and shifted her eyes to where Olivia was pointing. A smile graced her soft features and she shrugged a little bit all of a sudden feeling slightly embarrassed, what if her roommate thought it was a dumb idea. Then what would she do for a costume?

"Um, well…that's going to be my costume, I have to get a few other small accessories to complete it…I was thinking of being a Greek goddess…is that dumb?"

Olivia listened intently to what her roommate was telling her and she shook her head smiling softly.

"No, not at all Kirsten I think that's a fantastic idea…you are going to look so hot! I can't wait for Saturday its going to be so much fun…Oh I saw your date, he seems pretty stoked about Saturday too!"

Kirsten could hear the excitement and sincerity behind her words and she smiled nodding her head. When she heard the mention of her date Kirsten rolled her eyes and shook her head not entirely believing the part about her supposed date being stoked for Saturday.

"Uh-ah…right."

* * *

><p>The week had gone by quickly Olivia and Kirsten making a trip down to the local convenience store to pick up some twine that Kirsten could use as a belt for her costume as well as mixers and a few other things. Finally Saturday had rolled around and both the girls and the guys spent the morning recovering from the night before. The boys had agreed to come pick the girls up from their dorm at 10pm since that was around the time the party started and if they were a bit late it wouldn't really make a difference.<p>

"Liv…did you borrow my eyeliner?"

Kirsten questioned from where she was stationed in front of her mirror. Just then her curling iron beeped softly signaling that it was ready. Picking up her curling iron she held a piece of her blonde hair clamping it down before skillfully wrapping it around the curling iron holding it there for several seconds before letting it bounce down against her shoulders. Repeating this step until her mass of blonde hair was set in loose sexy curls. Grabbing the hair spray Kirsten pulled her hair half up and secured it with a small clip before spraying her blonde hair with the hair spray. Once she was happy with her reflection she held the headband out and put it over her hair letting it rest over her forehead almost hippie like but not really.

"Here ya go babe…Thanks! Oh damn girl you look so hot!"

Olivia said as she handed Kirsten her black eyeliner. Letting her eyes scan over Kirsten's appearance she smiled and nodded adjusting her flight attendant outfit.

"You think?"

Kirsten asked her roommate, self conscience about her own appearance while she began to apply her own makeup. Keeping it natural yet sexy at the same time making sure to highlight her eyes as well as her lips.

"Hell yeah !"

With the reassuring words from her roommate Kirsten smiled gratefully and bit down on her lower lip. Why was she even nervous for this so called date? She didn't even understand it herself, shaking her head she let the hues of her blue eyes glance Olivia up and down before smiling brightly.

"Thanks! You know…Paul is not going to be able to resist you!"

This statement got a laugh out of Olivia and she smirked giving Kirsten a wink.

"Well, that's the plan!"

Both girls giggled and took shots of vodka toasting to the night. One shot turned into two and soon turned into four and by then the girls were dancing around their dorm to a song that was playing on the radio.

Paul hurried out of his room dressed in his pilot costume he wanted to go pick up the girls already Olivia hadn't even given him the slightest hint of what her costume was. Which he thought wasn't very fair considering he told her exactly what he was planning on being.

"SANDY! Come on…we don't want to keep the girls waiting…"

Sandy wondered how Paul could be so annoying sometimes, he inwardly groaned he really did not feel like entertaining some freshman girl for the evening. Reluctantly he joined his best friend who also happened to be one of his three roommates in the kitchen. Dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a light blue t-shirt Sandy stood by Paul who eyed him curiously.

"Man, what are you supposed to be?"

"Sandy Cohen."

Sandy had uttered glaring over at Paul who shook his head irritated because he was anxious to see his girlfriend.

"Man…you can't go as yourself."

"Why not?"

"It's Halloween…you just can't."

This annoyed Sandy not only was he basically being forced to go out and entertain some freshman but he had to wear a costume too. Walking around Paul, Sandy opened a cabinet and pulled out a brown pair bag. Once he opened the bag he pulled it over his head and looked up at Paul his voice being muffled because of the bag over his head.

"What are you supposed to be?"

"Who cares?"

Paul was getting feed up with fighting with Sandy about wearing a costume so instead he just took a pair of scissors and cut two holes in the bag where his eyes were so that he could see.

"Okay…Fine lets go."

The boys made their way out of their house making sure to lock it up and then began their journey down the sidewalk. After stopping at a stop light and making a right turn they had finally reached the bridge. They crossed the bridge and headed across the courtyard reaching the girls dormitory building.

Olivia and Kirsten were singing and dancing around their dorm until a knock on the door caused them to stop in their tracks. Olivia was the one who hurried to the door, as she pulled open the door she squealed when she saw her boyfriend greeting him with a loud kiss. Kirsten hung back and glanced down at her feet that were strapped up in a pair of sandals. Olivia stepped aside and let Paul in trailing behind him was a guy who had a brown paper bag over his head. _My date _Kirsten had thought silently to herself eyeing him curiously before shifting her eyes over to Paul who greeted her, as she responded with a nod of her head and a small smile.

"Hey Kirsten"

"Hey Paul"

Paul had almost forgot about Sandy until he saw Kirsten's eyes dart over to where Sandy was standing in the doorway. The moment he saw her his breath literally caught in his throat she most definitely fit the goddess description, and in the white dress Sandy felt like she resembled an angel. Under the brown paper bag he was smiling like an idiot. Taking note of her curious eyes reminded him that he was wearing a brown paper bag over his head shielding his identity from her. Paul began to gesture toward him and Sandy shook his hand in front of him urging Paul not to drop his name. He watched Paul shake his head a little and then shift his gaze back over to Kirsten and Olivia which is where Sandy's eyes trailed too as well.

"And this is…one of my roommates…"

The depths of his dark blue eyes followed her every move and he saw her nod before a soft smile graced over her features.

"Well, its…uh, nice to meet you…"

Kirsten said a bit unsure, since she couldn't even see his face and he was not giving up his name. Hell he hadn't even said a word since they walked in her eyes trailed back up to meet the pair of eyes that were visible through the slits that had been cut in the brown paper bag. As the mysterious guy began to speak his voice was muffled however it struck Kirsten. She swore she had heard that voice somewhere before, but where was the question.

"Likewise…Kirsten"

The foursome headed out of the dorm with Paul and Olivia walking hand in hand ahead of Sandy and Kirsten.

"So, you couldn't get any better offers?"

Sandy had teased he knew that this girl probably had the guys lining up to take her out on a date so the fact that she was going out to a party accompanied by a roommate of the guy her roommate was dating intrigued him. He tilted his head so he could see her more clearly while they walked across the bridge Sandy making sure to keep a hold on the bag over his head. A light breeze blew through and tousled Kirsten's loose curls blowing them back slightly as she glanced over at him shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself…I did this more to humor my roommate then anything."

He saw her smirk, and could hear the playfulness in her soft voice before she glanced forward more than likely making sure that they hadn't lost Paul and Olivia. Her answer struck him, because initially that was his reason for coming out tonight as well to humor Paul.

"Well, then I guess we're both in the same boat…"

She turned and eyed him curiously, he could see her nose scrunch up, seeming to be deep in thought. Kirsten was trying to rack her brain to place his voice however it wasn't working. Hearing that he too was only out on this so called double date to humor his roommate caused her to smile slightly shaking her head.

"I mean what do you think it matters if you and I even came out with them tonight? I mean its not even like they'd notice if we weren't here…"

Kirsten had said glancing in front of herself the blue of her eyes burning holes into the backs of both Paul and Olivia. Sandy nodded his head under the bag agreeing completely with her, since it wasn't like the happy couple had paid them any attention since the introductions at the girls dorm. Pealing her eyes off the couples back Kirsten shrugged and shifted her glance over to the mystery guy.

"So, what are you supposed to be anyway?"

When he heard that question he laughed slightly racking his brain to try and come up with a witty response to get that musical sound to erupt from Kirsten known as laughter. They walked a little further down the sidewalk passing a couple other fellow classmates before they finally reached the party which was already in full swing from the look of things.

"Why does it matter?"

Was what Sandy had decided to say repeating the exact words she had uttered to him the day they meet and he was searching for her last name. As soon as she heard those words his voice became much more clear to her and a wide smile curled her lips up as she flashed a 100 watt smile stepping in front of him. Sandy gazed down into her eyes and saw them sparkling as Kirsten gazed up at him as if she just discovered a rare gem he laughed questioning her.

"What?"

"I know who you are…"

Kirsten said softly her smile still present trying to peer through the slits of his paper bag to see if she was indeed correct. However she knew that she had to be right, it had to be him…it was fate or something along those lines Kirsten internally thought.

"And who is that?"

"Sandy Cohen…"

She breathed out his name saying it softly her eyes hopeful that she was right and that it was him. While her ocean eyes studied his dark sapphire eyes Kirsten swore she saw his eyes light up at the sound of his name on her lips. Before he was able to answer her or anything they were dragged inside by Paul and Olivia whom did remember their presence. There were so many people moving around the house and Kirsten was weaving through the crowd accepting the red cup that Olivia handed her and slamming it almost instantly. Before getting a refill and soon enough she was onto her fourth drink at the party choosing a beer. After she got her beer Kirsten's eyes darted around the busy house in search of the brown paper bag, or that mop of black hair. She couldn't spot either and as the volume in the house increased Kirsten was bumped into multiple times. But when the last person bumped into her she softly expressed her apologies before looking up and realizing that it was exactly who she wanted to bump into. Taking a sip of her beer Kirsten stepped closer to him to avoid being in the way.

Kirsten stared deep into his eyes and began to move to the rhythm of the music, placing her arms loosely around his broad shoulders smiling up at him. She felt the strength in his hands as they laid gently against her hips bringing her body closer to his. Their bodies were pressed against one another's at this point as they swayed in time to the music. Kirsten couldn't help but giggle as she heard the paper bag crinkle and heard him muffle a curse word. She lifted her head away from his shoulder and got lost in his gaze as she leaned forward saying above the noise.

"Please just take the bag off…"

Kirsten gave him a pleading smile however he didn't budge. She stuck out her lower lip pouting, a tactic she had learned growing up in Newport and it had proven to be pretty useful it usually worked every time. Upon hearing the paper bag rumble she laughed softly and put her hands on her hips.

"I can not…because I've been enjoying your company all night…and if I take the bag off my head you might very well run in the opposite direction…"

Sandy had said laughing ever so softly at his last statement, a dig at himself more than anything. However, the fact that Kirsten had figured out who he was without him having to tell her caused him to smile. Maybe this was a sign that she did really feel something just as he did that afternoon they had spent together. All of a sudden he felt her small hand clasp around his larger one and tug on it leading him through the crowd of people and once they were outside she led him to the alley pushing him back against the wall slowly releasing his hand. He peered out of the slits of the bag curious to what she was going to do. He focused on her movements and caught her bite down on her lower lip stepping forward invading his space before slowly and carefully folding the bag up just enough so his lips were exposed. The cool air assaulted his newly exposed lips, just before Kirsten's came crashing down against his. A kiss that made time around them stand still, it surprised the hell out of him he didn't expect her to do that. However he recovered and let his hands rest on her hips gently bringing her closer to himself as he returned her kiss. Slowly pulling back from the kiss Kirsten glanced down slightly embarrassed by the way she had just acted she just couldn't help herself though`. Trailing her eyes back up to meet his she smiled softly tilting her head.

"Okay…now can you please take off that ridiculous bag?"

Hearing her last statement Sandy smirked slightly and removed his hands from her hips and slowly tugged the bag off his head. Once his identity was revealed he smiled at Kirsten who matched his smile.

"Do you always act like that?"

Sandy had pressed curiously gazing deep into the pools of ocean that were her eyes. Kirsten couldn't hold his gaze any longer upon hearing his statement because she had acted so out of character. Drinking caused her to do that sometimes, it made her feel carefree and loose her inhibitions.

"No…I don't normally pull random guys into alleys and kiss them…but normally I don't have guys hiding behind brown paper bags either."

Kirsten had said playfully answering the hidden question she knew he was asking when he asked her if she _always acted like that_. He nodded his head accepting her answer and smiled down at her as he crumbled the brown paper bag in his hand and tossed it off to the side.

"Well, I'm glad…that I was hiding behind a brown paper bag, otherwise you wouldn't have kissed me."

As he said this Kirsten giggled nodding her head in agreement to his statement. They stood there in the alleyway for ten more minutes making small talk, before they headed out of the alley and into the street Sandy reached over and took her smaller hand in his. At that very moment when he did this Kirsten felt a tingly feeling inside of herself. A feeling that she had never experienced before…not even with Jimmy this must be what _sparks _feel like Kirsten thought to herself. The two walked hand and hand along the sidewalk until they had reached a little diner where they split a milkshake and fries. Laughing and teasing one another about the evenings events as well as everything else. Oh yeah, there was definitely a spark between these two but how much would they let it grow?


	3. Fire Escape

**A/N : **So… I know I said an update wouldn't be for like 2 weeks but I only had to fix the beginning of this chapter so I decided to take a break from my school work and fix it up. After fixing up the beginning of this chapter and re-reading through it I think its up to par so here it goes…

"_Actually there was this time…in college, it was a fire escape not a window. I guess you really wanted a second date."_

**Chapter 3: Fire Escape**

Kirsten could barely keep her eyes open. She wasn't hung-over or anything of the sort is was just that she was merely bored with the topic of discussion that seemed to be circulating around the room. Her mind began to drift as it often did to Halloween. There was something between them an obvious attraction, however Kirsten knew it ran deeper than that. She still couldn't believe how she pulled him into the alley and kissed him, it was so out of character. As the debate seemed to dissipate around her, Kirsten focused her eyes on the board in the front of the room jotting down a couple things she had missed.

It was definitely a hard class to get through and not for the reasons one might think. Kirsten was analyzing every single aspect of each encounter she had with Sandy. From the coffee shop, to the diner where they spent hours joking and teasing one another. Some would probably say she was over thinking things and should just relax and just go with the flow. However that was so hard for her to do, she'd always had a plan; high school, college, marriage, career, kids, grandkids. That sort of thing and she tried to imagine what her life could be like with Sandy in it, which was premature she knew but she couldn't help but let her mind wander.

Kirsten knew from the start that it was a place she shouldn't have let herself go, in visualizing a life with Sandy…but she just couldn't resist. What she imagined was a lot of fighting as a result of having nothing in common. So that made her feel very apprehensive about jumping into any sort of relationship other than a friendship with Sandy. Kirsten just wasn't sure she was in the market to get into another committed relationship in reality it had been only two and a half months since she and Jimmy broke things off. She was so glad to be done with that class so she could clear her head with some fresh air.

Heading towards her dormitory Kirsten flicked a piece of her blonde hair out of her eyes and began to ascend the stairs knowing the exercise would do her mind some good. As she pulled open the door to her floor she nonchalantly readjusted her backpack strap and when she looked up she stopped dead in her tracks. The guy consuming her most recent thoughts was there in front of her dorm door knocking. She sucked in air before skillfully turning on her heel and sliding against the wall. When her eyes caught sight of the sign for the fire escape she bit down on her lower lip quietly opening up the window and making her way carefully down the fire escape pressing herself tight against the building to ensure that she wouldn't be seen.

Once she knew Sandy had gone she her way up the fire escape, and back into her dormitory. She stepped back into the hallway and she closed the window making her way back to her dorm. Why had she even avoided him? Kirsten didn't even understand it, she had caught herself thinking about him more and more since that Halloween night. Was it a first date? There was playful conversation passed between them as well as quick remarks, dancing, a kiss, and even a shared milkshake. Walking into her dorm caused Olivia to look up at her smiling before beginning to inform her that Sandy had stopped by.

"So…your boyfriend stopped by…"

Kirsten shook her head and bit down on her lower lip.

"What are you talking about? I don't have a boyfriend"

"Sandy…"

At the sound of his name Kirsten turned her head away from Olivia setting her books on her desk not having the heart to tell her roommate that she saw him waiting in front of their door and hurried down the fire-escape.

"I am not dating Sandy…we're just friends. That's it."

Kirsten knew that was a lie at least on her part. Considering that she had felt more the moment his hands clung to her hips bringing her body closer to his. They just fit, and if that kiss he returned to her lips was anything to go on, Kirsten knew he felt something more than just friends too. That kiss he returned to her lips also made her want to experience more of his kisses.

"Lucky for you…cause you're coming with me to a party at Paul's… and you know Sandy and him are roommates so you'll be able to see him tonight and maybe hash out what it is you guys are…and don't you dare say you're just friends cause I can tell that its more than that"

At this statement Kirsten turned her face away from Olivia blushing softly as she tucked an errant strand of her blonde hair behind her ear shaking her head. The rational part of her brain continued to remind her that she and Sandy had nothing in common so nothing could ever work out between them besides a friendship if even that. Or could there be something more? The flashing two on the answering machine caught her eye and she leaned down pressing play, as soon as the authoritative voice of her father filled the room Kirsten couldn't help but roll her eyes and press delete almost instantly not bothering to listen to the message in its entirety. Upon the next voice that floated throughout the room Kirsten shifted her eyes to the machine. Why was Jimmy even calling her? Sure her dad hoped she would return to Newport and her and Jimmy would marry fusing the two most powerful families in Newport together. But knowing what she had done to _their _child Kirsten knew that would never happen her heart just couldn't take the guilt. Without giving it a second thought Kirsten pressed down on the delete button lost in her own thoughts until Olivia's voice broke her trance.

"Was that your ex Jimmy?"

"Uhm…Yeah it was…but it doesn't matter."

Kirsten said shaking her head as she ran a hand through her blonde locks turning towards her roommate.

"So, when does this party at Paul's start?"

A smile graced her delicate features and Olivia gave her a knowing smile at the change in conversation.

"I knew you liked Cohen…"

"I do not like Sanford Cohen"

"Oh yes you do! You like him, you want to date him, you…"

Kirsten cut her off before she could finish her tangent.

"Stop it Liv! I do not like him…I mean I can't like him. We have absolutely nothing in common, and just no…"

"Oh, well that's too bad…cause he likes you!"

"What? Did Paul tell you that…?"

Kirsten had asked genuinely curious to why Olivia would just say something like that. Did she know something that Kirsten didn't? Her mind was reeling and she was trying to visualize different scenarios to where Olivia would have discovered that Sandy did indeed like her.

"Does it really matter how I know he likes you?"

Olivia's statement struck Kirsten and in that moment she realized that it really didn't matter how Olivia knew.

"No, you're right it doesn't matter how you know. I just don't understand why he would even be interested in me…I mean we have absolutely nothing in common, and just…I'm not exactly his ideal type…I mean blonde for starters, conservative, "Newport Princess"…"

Hearing her tangent caused Olivia to look up at her and smile reassuringly getting up and placing a hand gently on either one of her shoulders.

"Stop it okay…stop reading so much into this Kirsten…Sandy Cohen likes you and it's clear that you like him, just take a chance for once in your life."

"I'll go to the party but I make no promises"

Olivia just shook her head at Kirsten's response and went back over to her desk finishing up some homework. Kirsten took a seat herself at her own desk and flipped through the pages of one of her textbooks cramming in some homework, before they went out. The girls ate some dinner mixing some vodka into their bottled sodas. Both girls finished their dinner and their drinks then began touching up their makeup and changed their outfits. Kirsten only swapped her concert tee for a more fitted pink spaghetti strap top that dipped just low enough to tease yet wasn't too revealing. Since it was brisk outside Kirsten slipped on a fashionable ladies black leather jacket that gave her a bit of an edgy almost mysterious look. The jeans she was wearing were slightly faded and had a couple holes, but they hugged her toned legs perfectly and also happened to be her favorite jeans.

By the time the pair of roommates made their way through the doors of the boys house music was blaring. As they weaved through the mass of people Olivia squealed when she spotted Paul in the kitchen running in and throwing her arms around him. She greeted him with a passionate kiss and Kirsten's eyes scanned the kitchen and then the adjacent living room for any sign of Sandy. Not seeing him caused her to shift her eyes back to Paul and Olivia in curiosity.

"So, where's Cohen?"

Upon asking Kirsten made sure to keep her voice neutral however she caught Paul throw Olivia a knowing look which caused Kirsten to shake her head. She waited patiently for Paul's answer and accepted the drink he offered her saying a soft thanks.

"The Sandman is probably in his room with his head in his books, I tried to get him to come out and enjoy the party…but he said he was fine where he was. Maybe you can convince him otherwise?"

Paul had said all of this with a slight smirk which caused Kirsten to roll her eyes as she took a sip of her drink beginning to turn away.

"I'll see what I can do…"

Paul nodded and watched as she began to head down the hallway as he called after her.

"Last door on the left!"

Kirsten waved her hand up to let him know that she heard him and then she disappeared into the sea of people mingling around. There were a million thoughts swirling around her head and she dropped her fist internally cursing herself. That was when Olivia's previous thoughts resounded in her head; 'take a chance, for once in your life.' Hearing that particular statement replay itself in her head Kirsten let go of her insecurities for the moment and lifted her clenched fist to the door and knocked softly. She heard a mumbled response but couldn't hear what he said exactly because of the noise level so she twisted the handle and pushed the door open. For the first time hearing him clearly and he sounded irritated to say the least.

"I said go away I'm trying to study!"

Kirsten smiled softly shutting the door behind herself and as his eyes took in the sight of her his irritation seemed to visibly vanish.

"Kirsten! Wh-What are you doing here? You know I stopped by to see you today…and I know I should've called or whatever…but just.."

"Sandy…relax, its fine…and I know Olivia told me…but why did you stop by?"

Kirsten had said curiously taking a seat next to him on his bed, stretching out her legs. She had never thought she'd ever heard anyone talk so fast before all his words seemed to string together yet somehow his ramblings drew her in. Leaning over Kirsten picked up his notebook letting her blue eyes scan over the words that were scribbled across the page as she took a sip of her drink. He was a law student, and by the look of things clearly a devoted one at that. Sandy's voice broke her internal train of thought and her eyes shifted up meeting his instantly giving her this tingly feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Well, I don't know…I had fun on Halloween, and I don't know I thought that maybe we could hangout again a second date?"

At that moment Kirsten wondered how this guy could be so insecure in himself unsure almost, not believing that she'd ever agree to hangout with him again. She smiled softly and nodded her head a little bit.

"I had fun too…and yeah I'd really like that if we hung out again."

She reassured him her face bright with honest happiness, and then she smirked slightly saying in a playful tone.

"And for the record, Halloween was not a date."

"What? It so was! Okay fine…it wasn't a typical Sandy Cohen date…so let me treat you to a real Sandy Cohen date…"

From the sound of his voice Kirsten could tell how excited and hopeful he was to possibility of taking her on a second date. His enthusiasm and excitement caused her to smile as his dark bluish green eyes danced. No guy not even Jimmy ever really reacted to her in this way to the mere possibility of taking her out. Kirsten shrugged her shoulders slightly and shifted her eyes back down to his notebook.

"Uhm…yeah we'll see…"

She paused and let her eyes wash over his notebook once again, his penmanship seemed a bit rushed which Kirsten understood considering, she knew how it was during lectures. Although Newport Prep definitely gave her excellent preparation for college she still found that she could never get enough information about the topics she was truly passionate about namely art. So as she studied how crammed the page was with law terminology and such Kirsten knew instantly that this was one of his true passions.

"So…when's this test that you've got to study so hard for that you can't even come out of your room for a party…that's right outside you door?"

"Next Tuesday…"

His answer surprised Kirsten slightly and she nodded her head in understanding before a smile crept up her lips her sapphire eyes piercing into him.

"Oh, well you have the rest of the weekend plus Monday to study…so come on! Blow it off just for tonight…I'm sure you could use a little break."

Her voice was pleading with him in hopes that he would indeed blow off his studies to spend time with her. As his eyes took in her appearance he realized in that moment that he could probably never deny her anything. There was just something about her that drew him in. Maybe it was her classic beauty or maybe it was the fact that she was completely unaware of her effect on the male species.

"Okay, but if I fail this test…that ones on you…can you accept that?"

Sandy spoke in a playful manner to let her know that he was only joking. That he wouldn't really blame it on her if he were to get a bad grade on his test. Kirsten laughed and shook her head a little bit before shrugging her shoulders.

"I guess I can live with that."

She smiled brightly at him before swinging her legs off his bed in one fluid movement. As she got up she took a sip of her drink then held her other hand out to him to help him up.

"Come on…before people start to talk!"

He looked up at her accepting the hand she was offering, and the moment his hand clasped onto hers she felt another tingly feeling shoot through her body. Once Sandy was off his bed he realized how close their bodies were and smiled down at her saying in a soft voice.

"Only if you agree to go on a second date with me!"

Kirsten gazed up into his eyes and felt her knees turn to jell-o, not that she would give Sandy the satisfaction of knowing he had that power over her already. He wiggled his eyebrows as he anticipated her response just then realizing he never let go of his hold on her delicate hand.

"Okay…"

Sandy's eyes searched her blue orbs curiously not too sure that she was really honestly agreeing to the second date so he questioned her.

"Okay?"

"Okay!"

He smiled widely unable to contain his happiness deciding to continue this playful game they were partaking in.

"Okay?"

As she heard him say 'okay' again Kirsten couldn't help the smile that slid easily up her lips rolling her eyes at him. When he wiggled his eyebrows at her, Kirsten giggled softly _god _she thought. She had never met anyone with eyebrows like his and as Kirsten was beginning to discover he sure knew how to use them to his advantage.

"Yes! I'll go on a second date with you. Okay? Now, come on…let's go before people start talking…and by people I mainly mean Paul and Olivia…"

Kirsten said with a radiant smile not releasing her hold on his hand as she led him out of his bedroom. The moment they opened the door they were meet with the blaring music and loud voices. Kirsten lifted her drink above her head as they weaved through the crowd not wanting to spill her drink or lose Sandy's hand. Sandy felt her tiny hand clinging to his larger one while they weaved through the crowded hallway and it struck him how much he enjoyed the feeling. For the first time since Rebecca had left he found this girl making him feel again. As her heels clicked on the tile floor in the kitchen Paul and Olivia, as well as a few of the boys other buddies looked up at the two. Kirsten then lowered her hand taking one more drink finishing off her third drink of the night slowly releasing Sandy's hand leaning against the counter.

"Look who I found!"

Kirsten had said in a happy tone tapping his bicep with her hand. A smile falling over her lips as she heard the room full of people greet him, clearly he was a very popular and likable guy.

"Sandman!"

"Well would you look at that…So, what does she got that I don't got?" Paul had joked acting as if he was hurt which caused Sandy to laugh and wink over at him shrugging his shoulders. A smile taking over his face as he placed a gentle hand on Kirsten's shoulder leaning closer to her.

"Would you like another drink?"

Feeling his hand rest on her shoulder and his breath spill gently against her sun-kissed skin caused Kirsten to get goose bumps. She turned her head slightly their eyes meeting briefly as she smiled and nodded up at him.

"Yes, please"

Sandy nodded and picked up Kirsten's empty cup as he made his way to the keg pumping it a little bit before filling up her cup. Once he filled her cup he set it down on the counter and grabbed himself a cup filling it up. After having filled both red cups Sandy took a sip of his own keeping it in his left hand, as he reached for Kirsten's cup with his right hand making his way over towards her handing it off to her. As Kirsten accepted the cup their fingers briefly brushed against one another's and Kirsten shivered inwardly at the brief contact. It gave her that tingly feeling in the pit of her stomach. She definitely felt something more than just friends. With her newly refilled cup Kirsten lifted it to her lips taking a drink before engaging in the conversation that was circulating around the kitchen. Her baby blues began to dart around the kitchen in search of Sandy who disappeared _he must have gone to see who else was here _she thought.

"I bet you can't slam that beer!"

Kirsten heard the challenge and shifted her eyes around glancing over her shoulder to the challenger, Brad. He was one of the other guys who lived at the house. Kirsten smirked and shook her head rolling her eyes clearly he didn't know anything about her. Although not many people here knew her background, or so she thought. Challenges like this were a regular occurrence although they usually involved the slamming of hard liquor. She was a pro at these types of things not that she would ever lose sight of her composure or anything of that sort.

"What are the stakes?"

She shot curiously as he stood across from her on the other side of the counter. Brad's eyes were slightly glazed over and Kirsten could tell he was pretty drunk as well as high but nonetheless clearly checking her out.

"Well…if I win, you have to kiss me…and if you win…" Brad began however Kirsten interjected.

"If I win, you have to give Jordan a strip tease!"

Kirsten had finished the stakes needing to be in control of his fate cause she knew that she would win. She always won, and tonight would be no different. All the pairs of eyes in the kitchen were on the challenge between Brad and Kirsten. The two were eyeing each other and the determination that they both had to win shone through their eyes. Olivia got off of Paul's lap, and walked over to the edge of the counter and began the count down.

"5...4...3...2...1...GO!"

As soon as Olivia said 'go' both Kirsten and Brad had their cups lifted to their lips as they chugged the contents of their cups. Kirsten ignored the taste as well as the foam and chugged down the rest of her beer slamming her empty cup onto the counter before Brad, which caused Olivia to squeal and grab Kirsten's right arm lifting it up.

"And we have a winner."

Kirsten smirked over at Brad and then smiled over at Olivia giving her roommate a high-five before addressing Brad.

"It's time to pay up"

She had said giggling looking forward to watching Brad make a complete fool of himself. Brad rolled his eyes pouting not really wanting to do a striptease for his roommate Jordan.

"Wouldn't you rather me do a striptease for you?"

Brad had questioned Kirsten as he walked around the counter brushing his fingertips against her arm. She glanced down at his hand on her arm and then let her blue eyes trail back up to meet his eyes. Sure he was cute but at that moment all Kirsten could think about was Sandy's piercing bluish green eyes. Just then she felt a strong hand rest on the small of her back, which caused her to glance over her shoulder smiling widely up at Sandy. She was beyond happy to see him and leaned back against his hand. When Sandy saw Brad approach her he felt a surge of jealously that he didn't entirely understand considering the fact that they hadn't even defined what the were yet, but still. As he walked up he felt as if he was interrupting something but then Kirsten's voice broke his thoughts and he couldn't help but laugh at what he heard her say.

"Nah, I'd rather watch you make a fool out of yourself doing a striptease for Jordan…"

Brad gave Sandy a death glare when he broke out into laughter but also because he noticed Kirsten lean back into Sandy. _What the hell did Sandy Cohen have that he didn't? _Brad had internally thought as he watched the way Kirsten focused her attention on Sandy and leaned into his touch.

"Come on Brad don't be a sore loser!"

Paul had chimed in and the rest of the kitchen erupted in chants encouraging Brad to own up to the terms of the agreement. Sandy leaned towards Kirsten and whispered into her ear.

"Good Job!"

He left a soft kiss against her ear and it caused her to shiver, her cheeks flushing a soft shade of pink. Kirsten leaned back against him and smirked slightly saying only loud enough for him to hear.

"Thanks…I always win."

That statement caused Sandy to laugh softly letting his hand rub gentle circles on the small of her back. Finally after several minutes Brad began his striptease for Jordan some of the girls pulling out their cameras snapping a couple of pictures of the action. Brad was flushed red with embarrassment of having to give a striptease to another guy, let alone his roommate. The kitchen was filled with laughter and their were enough jokes tossed around to last a lifetime. While more people began to filter into the house Kirsten felt the temperature in the house increase along with it and unzipped her black leather jacket. Once she removed her jacket Kirsten turned around so that she was now face to face with Sandy and smiled softly.

"Can I put my jacket in your room?"

All he had to do was nod and take her by the hand leading her out of the kitchen and down the hall. He twisted the handle of his door pushing it open and then stepped inside and let her set her jacket over the chair by his desk. Kirsten smiled and thanked him before grabbing a hold of his hand as the song echoed through the house and to her ears.

"Come on, Cohen! I love this song"

She tugged on Sandy's hand leading him out of his bedroom and into the living room where the music was coming from and a bunch of other people were bumping and grinding against each other. The two danced and mingled around talking with the other people that were there and downed several more drinks. Sandy being a guy and having more to him than Kirsten's slender frame did he could hold his liquor. Kirsten could hold her liquor as well but she was just a lot more klutzy and tonight it would be obvious to anyone who saw her that she was under the influence. It was nearly three AM and by this time many of the people had filtered out of the house and had headed back to their respective dorms.

"I can not believe you just said that…"

Kirsten managed to get out between giggles her shoulder leaning against his tilting her head to let it rest against his shoulder as her giggles subsided. Sandy's arm draped around her shoulders pulling her closer to him smiling down at her dropping a lazy kiss to the top of her head.

"Youuuu…Sandy, are a really…really funny guy…you know that?"

She had said in an honest and slightly curious fashion shifting her baby blue eyes up to meet his. He held their eye contact as their breaths mingled, while their faces began to drift towards each other their noses bumped only intensifying the moment.

"I'm glad you think so…you know what?"

When she heard him begin to question her she smiled widely her eyes glazed over slightly, feeling the goose bumps take refuge amongst her soft skin from the close proximity of their faces.

"What?"

Kirsten had barely whispered her eyes shifting down eyeing his lips before slowly trailing her eyes back up to meet his eyes. At this moment Sandy took the opportunity to reach with his left hand and tuck a stray piece of her blonde hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear.

"You are absolutely beautiful…and I really enjoy making you laugh…"

Upon hearing him tell her that she was _absolutely beautiful _and that he _really enjoyed making her laugh_ caused her to glance down at her jeans letting her fingers fidget with the fabric. It wasn't that she had never heard these types of compliments before it was just hearing it roll off of Sandy's tongue. Just something about his tone made her for the first time believe that someone actually meant what they said, when they said it. Or maybe the alcohol was fogging her brain and he was just making her feel like a giddy schoolgirl because of the way his eyes pierced her. Kirsten could not help the genuine smile that pulled up her lips a reddish tint taking over her cheeks.

"See…really funny!"

Kirsten uttered making a bit of a lame joke, bumping her shoulder against his gently. There was no way Sandy was going to let her walk back to her dorm on her own, and they both knew that Olivia wouldn't be going back to their dorm until tomorrow considering her and Paul had disappeared an hour ago. At that moment Kirsten's eyes finally noticed the time on her Chanel watch that she had acquired on her sixtieth birthday.

"Wow, I didn't realize the time…I should probably head back to my dorm."

She said this sitting up a little straighter on the couch while sliding her hands up and down her jeans trying to prepare herself to stand up. Kirsten and Sandy had been stationed on the couch for a while now so she was a little nervous about getting up and walking all the way back to her dorm especially by herself at this hour. His hand lightly rested on her arm causing her to shift her eyes up to meet his.

"Just stay here tonight…you shouldn't be walking back to your dorm alone at this hour…you can sleep on my bed…I'll crash on the couch."

Sandy suggested sobering up a little bit putting her safety as his first priority and also expressing his concern that she was comfortable. Her eyes gazed into his and she smiled softly shaking her head a little bit.

"No, no…I don't want to put you out of your own room…"

Hearing her begin to argue with him caused Sandy to smile and shake his head at her pushing himself up off of the couch. He shifted his eyes down at her and held his hand out to her.

"Come on…no arguing, let's get you into bed"

Kirsten looked up at him and smiled softly not being able to argue with him anymore. As their eyes locked she gave into Sandy's pleas and placed her small hand into his as he gently began to tug her off the couch. Her footing was a bit wobbly considering the six drinks she had consumed throughout the night, so she leaned against Sandy for support as he led her from the living room to his bedroom.

Once they reached his bedroom Sandy began to shuffle his books and papers off of his bed and placed them in a heap onto his desk gesturing for Kirsten to take a seat. She complied and slowly took a seat on the edge of his bed allowing her eyes to watch him as he moved around the room. He went to his dresser and pulled out one of his New York t-shirts and some basketball shorts placing them on the bed next to her.

"They might be a little big…but its probably going to be more comfortable than your jeans…they're clean I promise…"

Sandy began to ramble smiling nervously down at her, Kirsten lazily trailed her baby blues up his frame and couldn't help but smile at him nodding her head.

"Thanks…"

She said softly taking her eyes off of him and glancing behind her shoulder at his bed and then shifting her eyes back up to his continuing.

"you know…the bed…it's big enough for both of us…you shouldn't have to sleep on the couch…this is your bed…we can both sleep here…I'll be right back, I'm going to go change…"

Kirsten had spoke slowly stumbling over her own words several times causing her to pause. Sandy listened to what she had said about the two of them both sleeping in his bed and he glanced down shaking his head a little bit. He didn't want her to wake up in the morning and think that Sandy had taken advantage of her.

"Kirsten…no its fine you take my bed…I'll take the couch…"

He attempted to argue with her and with one glance into her eyes he stopped resisting.

"Only if you're sure Kirsten…"

Hearing what Sandy had said caused Kirsten to smile softly he was truly a gentlemen. She pushed herself off his bed and delicately picked up the clothes he had set out for her and then when she heard his voice she smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah its fine…the bathroom is right across the hall right?"

Her eyes cast over Sandy who nodded in agreement to her question and pulled back the covers on his bed. Then went over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a grey t-shirt. Once he heard the soft click of the bathroom door Sandy stripped out of his jeans and t-shirt and kicked them over to the hamper that was on the other side of his dresser. He pulled on his pajamas and flicked off the main light, only a small lamp next to the bed lit up the room as he sat on the edge of his bed waiting for Kirsten to come back in.

Slowly she stripped herself of her favorite jeans and her tank top, folding her jeans and tank top neatly setting them on the closed lid of the toilet. Then she pulled on the basketball shorts that Sandy had given her sliding them up her toned legs folding over the waistband in order to ensure that they'd stay on her. Kirsten finally pulled Sandy's New York t-shirt over her head and slid her arms through tugging the shirt over her upper body just then her eyes caught sight of her reflection and she smirked softly running her hand though her blonde hair letting it bounce against her shoulders. A smile crept up her lips as she grabbed her discarded clothes and then switched the light off in the bathroom and pulled open the door, crossing the hall and stepping into Sandy's bedroom pushing the door closed behind her. She could feel his eyes on her and she looked over at him squinting through the darkness smiling softly as she made her way over to the chair by his desk setting her clothes down on top of it before making her way to his bed.

TBC…

**A/N: **I know this is super mean to leave you guys hanging like this but I couldn't resist and in all honesty I wasn't too sure on how I wanted to end this chapter. So, for now we'll leave it there…enjoy! Oh, and by the way if you have time…I'd really like to know what you think so far! reviews would pretty much make my life haha( :


	4. Second Date

**A/N: **Inspiration for this chapter came about pretty easily mainly because I heard this particular line while my best friend and I were watching the third season. I can't recall the exact episode but the scene included Matt and Maya having dinner with Sandy and Kirsten at the Yatch Club.

"_I used to follow Kirsten on her way home. She lived on the other side of campus but I lived…to watch her walk"_

"_Yeah and I called campus security."_

"_It was worth every minute I was detained and questioned"_

**Chapter 4: Second Date?**

Sleep claimed her soon after they were plunged into the darkness. Kirsten laid on her side with her back facing him. He could hear her even breathing and a light snore ring out in his room. With the knowledge that she was asleep his mind began to wander as he laid next to her in the dark. Rebecca had done a number on him, and he would be the first to admit he was still working on getting over it. They had planned their lives together, they had a whole plan; how could someone just walk away from someone they claimed to love more than anything? Sandy didn't understand it and ever since she left he built a wall around himself to keep others out. He wasn't looking to get his heart torn out again, as his mind drifted to the figure next to him Kirsten's light snore lulled him to sleep.

As the sun peaked through the blinds Kirsten stirred next to him. Her eyelids fluttered as she began to wake up. While she laid there with the presence of a strong arm around her Kirsten reveled in how comforting she found it. The warm body pressed against her back caused her to want to stay in this moment forever. Maybe it was the alcohol that was still in her system but Kirsten couldn't remember ever sleeping so soundly before. Carefully she checked her watch for the time, before skillfully sliding out of Sandy's arms. Quietly she grabbed her clothes off his chair making her way across the hall and into the bathroom.

The house was silent which made Kirsten even more aware of her every move and the noise she created. Once she finished going to the bathroom she washed her hands allowing the hues of her blue eyes to finally catch the sight of her reflection. Giving her reflection a smirk she pushed her hand through her blonde locks tousling them around a little bit. As she glanced down her fingertips curled around the hem of Sandy's New York t-shirt that she had on and she stripped it from her slender frame. Next she moved her hands to the waistband of the shorts she had on pushing them down her hips. Upon being shed of Sandy's clothes Kirsten picked up her own clothes pulling on her jeans easily and slipping into her tank top.

She pulled her blonde hair out of the back of her tank top, running her hand lightly under her eyes. Trying to remove any sign of staying the night, she did her best to clear her skin of the previous nights events. Happy with the fact that she no longer had any smudged makeup on her face Kirsten grabbed her jacket and slide her arms into the sleeves. Giving her appearance a final once over Kirsten bent down and picked up Sandy's discarded clothes opening the bathroom door, crossing the hall and quietly opening Sandy's bedroom door.

A smile took over her facial features as she took in his sleeping form. Folding the clothes he had borrowed her Kirsten set them on his chair leaning down and retrieving her high heels from his floor. Kirsten made her way to the door wanting to escape before anyone else in the house woke up. Just as her hand twisted the handle of his door he stirred which caused Kirsten to still all movement and glance over her shoulder at him. Her blue eyes watched him for a second more satisfied with the fact that he was still fast asleep Kirsten, opened his door gliding out into the hallway pulling the door closed behind her.

It closed with a soft thud as she made her way down the hallway, she tiptoed past the kitchen letting her eyes take a quick glace relieved no one was up and hurried to the front door. After undoing the lock Kirsten tugged the heavy door open making her way out of the house. The sun assaulted her skin causing her to squint as she sat down on the steps that led to the sidewalk. Kirsten slid her high heels onto her feet and rubbed her delicate hands against her jeans before she stoop up. Jamming her hands into the pockets of her coat she began her journey back to her dorm.

With each stride she knew she was nearing her destination. The early morning air gave her piece of mind. Things last night with Sandy went wonderfully, they just flowed, their bickering was intense and always made her smile. He would challenge her and Kirsten would challenge him right back. They never agreed on anything but that was half the fun, it gave them something to bicker about. While she continued to walk she bit down on her lower lip thinking about how staying over last night should've been kind of weird but in reality it wasn't at all. Maybe that was because she had her friend alcohol to lull her to sleep. It should've been strange for her because Kirsten had never slept in the same bed with a guy before without expectations. Sure she and Jimmy had sex but they never had the luxury of having sleepovers.

Sandy stirred and as his hand met the empty space next to him his eyelids shot open. The spot next to him that once was occupied by Kirsten was still warm which let Sandy know that she must have just recently left. _This girl _Sandy thought he'd never have her figured out, granted it was only their third encounter but still. He swore she was so all over the map, from kissing him in the alley but she was drinking, to agreeing to go on a date with him, but then she left without so much of a goodbye. He found his mind often drifting to Kirsten since that night, and the first time he saw her he seemed to become hypnotized by the way she moved. He would've sworn she was gliding on air that's how at ease she walked and it captivated Sandy.

Soon enough he found himself making a point to wait at a particular building pretending to have something else holding his attention when he saw Kirsten. So he didn't seem like he was stalking her or anything of the sort. Sandy had taken his test that he had been so worried about and was happy because he felt like it went great. That was when he saw her he smiled softly his eyes following her gentle movements as her hips swayed slightly in time with her walking. Glancing down at his open book he slowly began to trail behind her keeping a safe distance. Besides it wasn't like they were the only two walking down the sidewalk. Sandy figured she'd never notice him following her back to her dorm luckily the fine arts building was across from her dormitory building. As the week went on Sandy continued to follow her home acting as if he was merely going somewhere else and like he didn't realize Kirsten was in front of him, it was all a game.

The first time she had realized it was him following her she didn't know how she felt about it. Should she call campus security was he stalking her or was it merely all inside her head? Later on that week she caught him following her yet again and wasn't too sure if she should be flattered or scared. Kirsten could not be entirely sure that he was following her but she figured it would be an easy way to flirt with him. Feeling extra brave on this particular day Kirsten spun on her heel her bright blue orbs locking with his instantly as she shot playfully.

"So you're stalking me now?"

Apparently she had noticed him following her _shit _Sandy thought to himself he just loved to watch her walk. Kirsten walked with such ease, almost as if she was an angel floating on air. Usually Sandy was quick witted but at this very moment Kirsten had caught him off guard with her accusation of him stalking her that he wasn't too sure on how to respond.

"Kirsten! Hey…what no..no I'm not stalking you I'm headed toward…the fine arts building."

She watched him try and come up with a answer to her question, she read his tone happy that it was refreshingly honest and genuinely sincere. He might have a problem rambling at times but each encounter she had with him she found that his ramblings were beginning to grow on her.

"Uh ah"

Sandy heard how unconvinced she was it seeped through those two sounds. As their eyes locked he gave her a soft smile, he was pretty stoned and wondered if she could tell. Sandy felt like she could see right through him.

"So…when are we going to go on that date? Cause you left last Saturday morning before we could set anything up!"

Kirsten bit down on her lower lip as he brought up that night, or more so that he brought up that morning and how she fled without so much as a goodbye. Even though he was the one who should be on the defense Kirsten felt her walls seem to build up around herself.

"Well I don't know if I want to go on a date with my stalker I mean he could turn out to be a real psycho.."

Kirsten batted her long eyelashes at him to let him know that she was only semi-joking. She bit down on her lower lip as she felt Sandy's eyes run up her frame before settling on her eyes once again. Sandy's eyes played across her facial features taking in every aspect of her face. His eyes were shining in a playful manner intriguing Kirsten.

"There's really only one way for you to figure out if I'm a total psycho.."

Hearing his playful remark caused Kirsten to shrug slightly and nod her head.

"Yeah, but maybe I don't want to take the risk"

After she dropped her last statement Sandy smirked and before he could respond his buddy Eric passed him informing him that he was going to be late for rehearsal.

"Sandman you better get a move on…we can't be late for rehearsal!"

Upon hearing rehearsal Kristen's blue eyes darted between Eric and Sandy. So, maybe he was telling the truth and she made it up inside her head about him stalking her. Apparently Sandy was headed to the fine arts building to rehearse for a play? Kirsten couldn't help but wish she could be a fly on the wall at his rehearsal. Sandy's eyes meet hers and she could tell that he wanted to say something more but she stopped him.

"Well you heard him…you better get a move on Cohen!"

As her angelic voice floated through the air between them he smiled softly his eyes dancing with passion.

"Yeah…well who knows maybe I'll see you around"

Sandy wiggled his eyebrows shooting a smirk her way before he winked at Kirsten and turned on his heel addressing Eric for the first time. As Eric began to question Sandy about why he was talking to Kirsten, Sandy dodged the questions not really having much to share. While the guys walked off Kirsten watched them for a second shaking her head slightly before continuing towards her dormitory building. As she walked into her dorm room she couldn't help but let her mind drift. Why hadn't she set up that second date with Sandy? He was overall charming, maybe a little obnoxious at times but somehow he still pulled her in. After diverting her focus off of Sandy, Kirsten got a lot of studying done.

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><p>The next day Kirsten walked from the library to the southview building where her business class was being held. She saw him then, which caught her off guard slightly maybe he was stalking her. Putting her thoughts of Sandy to the back of her mind Kirsten got to class more than prepared to take the test. Once her test was over Kirsten pulled her jacket on over her arms and slung her backpack onto her shoulders making her way out of the building. She began to walk out of the building her eyes taking note of Sandy standing off in the courtyard with his head buried in what looked like a script of some sort. As she walked down the stairs and crossed the courtyard Kirsten pretended as if she hadn't seen him standing there. That she hadn't noticed him look up and begin to follow behind her about ten feet. Kirsten smirked to herself of course he'd say he was only heading to the Fine Arts building which happened to be right across from her dormitory. Instead she let him follow her thinking that he was in the clear, that she hadn't noticed and headed inside her building. Once she reached her dorm a thought struck Kirsten and she picked up the phone dialing the campus security number. The phone rang two times before someone answered.<p>

"Hello"

"Hello, Um this is Kirsten Nichol dorm 504 and I would like to report that there has been a strange dark haired guy following me to my building for the past week and it's starting to freak me out a little bit."

Kirsten bit down on her lower lip softly to stop herself from laughing at what she was doing. It was all innocent she was just trying to give Sandy a little taste of his own medicine. She didn't know him well enough to trust that his intentions were purely innocent that he would never do anything to hurt her. However, from their encounters Kirsten felt that knew him well enough to know that he wasn't capable of doing anything to harm anyone.

"Alright Ms. Nichol we will see what we can do…if you know his name that would be a great help in tracking him down and questioning him"

"I believe his name is Sandy Cohen."

She smiled softly after she said his name happy to be possibly ending this little game they were playing with each other. Although as she began to think about it in the larger picture this kind of game could get very interesting and pretty hot. Shaking the thoughts from her head Kirsten did some homework until Olivia got back to their dorm. As soon as Olivia got there the two went and got dinner. They were enjoying their pizza when Kirsten noticed Eric the guy who told Sandy that they'd be late for rehearsal come in. Eric was with a couple other people and Kirsten could over hear them talking about how Sandy had gotten taken in for questioning about something by campus security. She laughed softly to herself and disregarded it when Olivia asked her what she was laughing about.

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><p>Sandy was just leaving his rehearsal when campus security stopped him. He was utterly baffled his lawyer in training mouth started spitting out question after question. Finally once they got to their office the officer began questioning him about Kirsten Nichol and why he was following her. At the very thought of her Sandy smiled slightly as her walking flashed in his mind. He was questioned for almost two hours about his alleged stalking of Kirsten. So as he made his way out of the building his mind was all over the place he was trying to figure out who would've called campus security on him. Kirsten wouldn't…or would she? Sandy thought she understood it was just a game, and well that he honestly just enjoyed to watch her walk. As he walked down the steps when he reached the bottom his eyes took in the sight of her smirking slightly.<p>

"Now whose stalking who?"

Kirsten laughed softly shaking her head a little bit. Before her eyes met his and she shrugged her shoulders a little bit.

"Oh no, I wasn't…I mean I'm not…I just felt responsible…"

"Responsible…?"

Sandy had pushed curious to what she meant.

"I called campus security. It was supposed to be a joke…I didn't think they'd actually detain and question you. Although it is comforting to know that they take these types of accusations seriously…"

Kirsten never rambled, growing up in Newport had kept her on the straight and narrow to be an expert conversationalist. But in that moment Sandy had made her feel all nervous about herself and her current actions.

"Oh, you did huh? Well…lucky for you I got to try out my lawyer talk so it was worth it I suppose"

When Sandy mentioned that he got to give his lawyer skills a go she smiled softly nodding her head in understanding.

"Ah, I see…well then I'm glad to help!"

Sandy's eyes danced across her facial features and a smile crept up his lips as her eyes probed his.

"But your little phone call nearly ruined my Friday night"

Upon hearing his jab that she had _nearly ruined _his Friday night, struck her with an idea and she smirked their eyes connecting once more.

"Well, the nights not over…how bout I make it up to you?"

As her words sank in Sandy's eyes clouded with curiosity a smile taking over his entire face his enthusiasm was contagious.

"Make it up to me huh? And how do you plan on going about that?"

Kirsten bit down on her lower lip pondering what he had just said her eyes fell to her own feet and then trailed back up to lock with Sandy's eyes shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"Maybe starting with a second date?"

At the mention of the second date Sandy beamed and nodded his head contemplating what he could throw together so fast.

"So now you admit that Halloween was a date?"

He said taking a tentative step closer to Kirsten who laughed shaking her head a little bit.

"Yes, I guess I am!"

"Well now that's an unexpected twist to this evening"

Kirsten allowed her eyes to study him and smiled slightly giving a gentle laugh before reaching her small hand across to him.

"Come on…I know the perfect place!"

Sandy clasped his much larger hand around hers and reveled at the contact.

"Lead the way!"

Kirsten glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. A comfortable silence falling over them, as they began to walk out of the courtyard and down the sidewalk. Sandy never did well in silence he couldn't help it he was a talker.

"So…where are we going?"

"Now if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise!"

Kirsten said enthusiastically lacing her fingers between the spaces of his giving their hands a little swing as they continued to walk down the sidewalk until they were off campus grounds.

"Oh come on…the suspense is killing me."

The moment he felt her tiny fingers slid into the spaces between his, he smiled at the change. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze as she swung their laced hands ever so slightly while they walked further away from campus grounds. Her beauty was seriously breathtaking and it struck him how unaware she was to her own appearance and the effect she had on men. It was her innocence that drew him into her.

"I'm sure you'll survive"

"Nope…I wont"

She rolled her eyes at him because he was acting like a child however she had to admit it was probably one of the things she liked about him. He had this ability to act entirely responsible and adult but then he could also flip and in the same instance act immature and childlike.

"Oh would you shut up, we're here"

Her voice rang playful to his ears and as they reached their destination Sandy's face broke out into a wide grin. His eyes taking in their new surroundings his eyes stealing a glance from Kirsten's direction.

"The beach…you're right it is perfect!"

Sandy's voice was gentle and Kirsten blushed softly under his gaze glancing down at her feet as he tugged on he hand a little getting her to fall in line next to him as they began to walk down the beach. The sun was beginning to descend in the sky and Sandy realized he knew the best spot for them to get an unbelievable viewing of the sunset. Kirsten didn't really need conversation she was okay with the silence, because it let her mind analyze everything at full pace.

"Come on…step up"

At the sound of his voice Kirsten was pulled from her own daydreaming and looked up at Sandy who was walking up a rock. Releasing his hand Kirsten climbed onto the rock next to him curious to what they were doing up there she hadn't even noticed the sun was setting prior to the moment she sat down.

"What are we doing up here?"

"Just watch"

Sandy breathed softly as his eyes took in the sight of Kirsten, before darting out to the vast ocean ahead of them the sun perfectly aligned with the water at that moment. Kirsten was visibly taken back by the colors dancing against the water.

"This is so beautiful. I just wish I had my sketch book…"

"You're beyond beautiful…"

It just came out, he was thinking it and once it was said aloud he glanced down sheepishly unsure on how she would react. However, it was the truth he did think she was breathtakingly beautiful, and especially in that moment. The brilliant shades of oranges and pinks engaged in a teasing waltz across her features. Sandy couldn't take his eyes off of her, as he watched her react. She glanced down seeming embarrassed by his revelation.

"Stop…you're too sweet."

Her cheeks flushed a soft tint of red at his statement her whole body being taken over by goose bumps. Kirsten diverted her eyes from the water and glanced at her jeans rubbing her hands against the material avoiding his eyes because she was afraid he could see exactly what she was thinking. But he wouldn't have it, Sandy leaned over and gently placed a finger beneath her chin tilting her head so that their eyes would meet.

"I'm serious Kirsten you have no idea how insanely breathtaking you are…and I mean that. Relax, okay all you have to say is thank you"

When he touched her face she marveled at how gentle he truly was, his face was close to hers and the electricity in the air between them intensified. His words were so genuine, and sincere that Kirsten found for the first time she honestly felt beautiful. Instead of using words her face drifted closer to his and their eyes bounced between each others eyes to their each others lips. Their noses brushed and then their lips pressed against one anothers Sandy's hand cupped her cheek bringing her a little closer to himself as they lost themselves for a moment in the kiss. Tongues dueled, and lips meshed trading kisses between each other before they both pulled apart breathless. It was their first official sober kiss, and they both marveled at how good it felt both lost in their own thoughts before Kirsten's voice fluttered through the air between them.

"Thank you"

Kirsten replied softly her eyes searching his, he laughed slightly shaking his head before he casually slid his arm around her shoulders bringing her a little closer to himself.

"Your welcome"

After he replied to her with a _your welcome_ Kirsten smiled leaning against him as her eyes took in the sunset. Very happy to be sharing this moment with someone like Sandy. He truly wasn't like anyone she had ever meet before.

"So, you're in the play?"

Kirsten sort of just blurted out, she wasn't entirely sure why she had said it. But she had been thinking about it since she heard that he would be late for rehearsal the other day.

"Huh? Oh, no it's a musical actually…Berkeley's very own production of Grease."

Laughing softly Kirsten was slightly taken back by the mention of it being a musical. It intrigued her nonetheless her mind drifting to the fact that he must have a good voice.

"A musical? Oh my goodness…no way, you're going to be in the musical? I never would've guessed. Grease huh? Don't tell me you're Danny Zuko?"

"As a matter of fact I am"

"Oh god no…I can already see it."

She had shot playfully giggling softly to herself as her mind began to envision Sandy playing the part of Danny Zuko.

"Am I really that unattractive?"

"What no…its not that at all…its just kind of funny to me. You don't seem like the ideal Danny Zuko. I mean you're not exactly a "bad boy"."

Once she finished explaining what she meant Sandy nodded his head a little bit contemplating telling her a bit of his back story but he shook the thought from his head. They still hadn't defined what they were and in Sandy's mind defining them would only complicate things. As he began to fish in his pocket for something Kirsten turned her head so she could take in his profile smiling slightly before she shifted her eyes back to the ocean that was sparkling from the rays of the sun.

"Wanna smoke?"

He held out a joint between them and Kirsten's eyes shifted to the proffered joint before her eyes trailed up to meet his. She was curious if he was trying to show her that he could be a bad boy or if he was showing her how he liked to relax. Kirsten tried desperately to read his eyes but as their eyes locked she realized that she couldn't tell either way. Sandy bit down on his lower lip softly his eyes looking more green than ever in the dim sunset. He twirled the joint between his fingers the lighter resting on the rock in the space between them waiting to hear what she said. Suddenly Sandy was second guessing himself maybe she would turn her nose up to it and in turn to him knowing that he enjoyed to smoke occasionally. Well okay maybe it was more than just the occasional joint but he preferred pot over liquor it seemed safer?

"Sure…why not?"

Kirsten had said smiling softly as she took note of Sandy's semi-surprised reaction to her answer. Putting butt of the joint into his mouth he grabbed the lighter from between them lighting up the joint inhaling deeply. Sandy held the smoke in his lungs for several seconds passing the joint to Kirsten. Their fingers brushed briefly against the joint and he exhaled the smoke glancing over at as Kirsten put the butt of the joint between her lips and inhaled deeply. Sandy watched her as she let the smoke slid down her throat and simmer in her lungs before she exhaled it. Handing the joint back to Sandy Kirsten smiled a little bumping her shoulder against his, it had been a while since she smoked she forgot how good it made her feel.

Sandy took the joint back and took another hit, before handing it back to Kirsten. They continued on this way passing the joint back and fourth taking hits. By the time the two had finished smoking the joint Kirsten's head was resting on Sandy's shoulder her eyes looking out at the ocean that was now shinning from the light if the moon. Very slowly Sandy began to stand up which got Kirsten's attention, her eyes were brimmed red and he gave her a lopsided smile as he offered her his hand to help her stand. Kirsten's blue eyes glanced down at his outstretched hand and slowly slid her smaller one into his allowing him to assist her. After they were both standing Sandy let his eyes slowly take in her appearance, he saw her blush under his gaze and he could help but take a step closer to her and press a soft kiss to her forehead. Sandy snagged her hand lacing their fingers together as he diligently lead her down the rock.

Once they reached the sand Kirsten burst out into a fit of giggles for no apparent reason and it caused Sandy to glance over at her. She shook her head and her laughter dwindled down to nothing as their eyes meet she smiled and leaned closer to him pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips. Without warning Sandy released her hand and slung his arms around her waist picking her up in one swift movement as he began to spin the both of them around. The spinning only seemed to intensify the high Kirsten was currently experiencing so when he finally put her down she was giggling and stumbled slightly into him causing them both to fall down onto the sand. Sandy landed on top of Kirsten and when he did she smiled up at him pushing his thick black hair out of his eyes before laughing softly at how they had ended up laying in the sand.

His eyes were glazed over but as he gazed down into Kirsten's blue orbs he was sure hers were worse. Sandy pressed a soft kiss to her cute little button nose before rolling off of her taking a spot to the right of her basking in the night air.

"So what are we?"

The moment he heard her soft voice question him on what it was they were he continued to lay in the sand next to him gazing up at the starry sky.

"Well…I don't think we should label things just yet…that makes everything all the more complicated right? I mean we're hanging out…I like you. But honestly…I'm still working on getting over my ex.."

Sandy really hoped his revelation wasn't going to scare Kirsten off, because he honestly really enjoyed her company. Plus he just admitted it out loud that he liked her, he wasn't entirely sure on all the reasons why he liked her but Sandy was continuously finding himself drawn to her. The more they hung out the more that feeling intensified for him. His eyes glanced to his left at her watching as she nodded her head it what seemed like agreement.

"Oh, no I completely agree labels complicate everything. I like you too…incase you were wondering. Okay, I understand that fully…I mean I just recently broke things off with the only guy I have ever dated."

_Why _had she just blurted out that she had only dated one guy? Kirsten shook her head happy that the darkness would be able to disguise the reddish tint that was creeping up her cheeks. At this point she couldn't even bring herself to look up at Sandy, her mind was spinning.

"How long were you with him?"

Upon hearing Sandy's question Kirsten shook her head glancing down.

"A few years…how bout you?"

After she relayed the question back to Sandy he seemed to turn cold.

"Same…we were engaged."

Kirsten couldn't help but trail her eyes up to his face taking in his profile he was cold, his eyes looked guarded and his voice was hard. She bit down on her lower lip wanting to know what this mystery girl had done to hurt such a wonderful person.

"Oh. Well what happen?…I mean you don't have to tell me…"

Once she had asked what happened she shook her head trailing on, he probably didn't want to talk about it she should've understood that from the look on her face. Kirsten began to fiddled aimlessly with her fingertips her eyes focused on what she was doing with her hands.

"She just left…no goodbye. No anything."

From the sound of his voice Kirsten's heart nearly broke for him the wound was clearly still pretty raw so she was glad that he shared this with her. It definitely helped her understand him much better.

"I'm sorry Sandy…that's terrible."

He felt her hand brush against his forearm to comfort him and Sandy surprised the both of them as he grabbed her hand before she moved it. Sandy clung to her hand silently not saying a word, he gave her delicate hand a gentle squeeze before bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.

"Thanks Kirsten."

"Don't mention it…I'm here for you!"

Sandy glanced down at her and saw her smile softly as he released her hand then pulled her close to himself. Kirsten curled herself against Sandy's side resting her head on his chest as they both lay their a comfortable silence taking over the air as they gazed up at the stars.

TBC…

**A/N: **There is chapter 4. If you got this far…and you're liking what you've been reading thus far I'd love to hear all about it. If you have any suggestions or any criticism I'd love to hear those as well so please don't be share reviews seriously make my life( :


	5. Sparks Fly

**A/N: **Happy New Year Kandy shippers! (all of you that are still out there) I have been working hard on putting together this next chapter for all of you that are still reading, and I really hope you guys enjoy it. This chapter definitely ran away from me. The original of this chapter was surprisingly longer than the previous four chapters that I've written and it also kind of jumped location a bit so instead I made it into two chapters. Since I did that the location only switches between this chapter and the next…as opposed to jumping around in this chapter at all. Also this chapter even after splitting it up into two different parts is still rather lengthy I can't promise coming chapters will deliver this much length but I hope that won't stop you from reading. Oh, and as always if there are any similarities to other Kandy stories it is completely **unintended** and all rights and praise go to those writers.

**P.S. **Hey, Addie just so you know your review made my life when I saw it! You had so many beyond nice things to say about this piece and I thank you so much for that, you are far too kind. After reading your review I was seriously touched that you liked all these little details I was throwing in there and it really inspired me. Not going to lie I read and re-read your review smiling like a fool, so thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter( :

sunluverr- I hope you're still reading, and enjoying( :

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><p>"<em>I just know that when you wooed me there was no caviar and champagne you still did alright." <em>

"_I should take Bill Miriam out for pizza and bad wine in the back of a mail truck!" _

"_No I mean show him who you are beyond schedules and budgets…and who knows maybe he loves pizza."_

_Dialogue inspiration came from Season 3 episode 13- The Pot Stirrer _

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Sparks Fly<strong>

Kirsten had slept until noon and laid in her bed until twelve thirty before she finally pushed herself out of her bed because she knew she had to pack. Tomorrow she would be on a plane back home for the Thanksgiving weekend. She was dreading going home, she already knew what it would be like: her mother too drunk to make any meaningful conversation, while her father trudged off to work, and her little sister bounced with excitement that Kirsten was home. If only she could just blow it all off, she wouldn't have to see Jimmy or any of her former friends the ones who seemingly lost her number and never kept in touch. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes as they focused in on her cork board that was decorated with pictures of her life before Berkeley her "friends" before Berkeley. Honestly she didn't miss it she wasn't home sick not one bit, she loved this place and who she was becoming here. Slowly she reached up and unpinned one picture that was on the board. The board was a blur of faces, people she didn't know anymore. A soft knock on her door broke her out of her trance as well as the task at hand and Kirsten glanced at her empty duffle bag as she made her way to the door. As she pulled open the door her eyes clouded with confusion, her face flushed with embarrassment as she glanced down at her short shorts and her baggy t-shirt she couldn't believe Sandy was here.

"Uh-Hey…what-what are you doing here?"

Sandy smiled at her embarrassment he found it cute, she was clearly lounging around in her pajama's packing or what he wasn't sure.

"Well…I figured it was a safe bet that you had the dorm to yourself cause Olivia shacked at Paul's last night and was heading home today. So, I thought maybe you could use some company…"

She leaned against the door nodding her head to his ramble as she thought about how she was barely wearing anything. However, she realized she wasn't uncomfortable by that it was just the clothes weren't very form fitting but they were pajamas so who really cared?

"Company would be great actually…come on in"

Once he entered his eyes began to dance across the room taking in all the things that were crammed in the tiny space.

"Nice room you got here."

At that Kirsten shook her head and laughed softly making her way over to her closet and studying the contents of it.

"Thanks…make yourself at home"

Sandy noticed the duffle bag and he frowned slightly he was hoping she would be staying back and that they'd be able to hangout some more while the rest of their fellow classmates made their way home for the Thanksgiving weekend.

"So…you're going home for the weekend?"

Hearing his question caused Kirsten's shoulders to slump and she seemed to visibly deflate standing in front of her closet she pulled some shirts from the hangers and made her way over by her duffle bag.

"Ugh…yeah"

He took a seat on the futon his eyes watching her as she began to fold the shirts she'd yanked from the hangers and set them into her duffle bag.

"Whoa there, don't sound too enthusiastic.."

Kirsten glanced up at him her blonde hair falling into her eyes, she caught him wink at her and she smiled softly shaking her head as she made her way back over to her closet.

"Don't get me wrong…I love my family, I really do…I mean they're my family but sometimes its just hard…you know?"

After she finished her statement Kirsten glanced over her shoulder at Sandy who visibly nodded to what she was saying which caused her to smile herself before opening her dresser drawer pulling out two pairs of jeans walking over and placing them into her duffle bag before she took a seat next to Sandy.

"I hear ya…I mean I still don't think my mom has realized I left"

"Oh, I know what you mean..,I doubt my moms noticed either"

Sandy chuckled softly and shook his head before he looked up at her.

"Oh I'm sure that's not true I'm sure you're moms noticed how couldn't she?"

Kirsten blushed upon hearing his words she knew he was subtly complimenting her.

"Well you don't know my mother…"

A smirk played across his lips as he glanced down at her, watching as she began fiddling with her fingers getting lost in her own thoughts.

"And you don't know mine"

He had shot back in a semi-playful tone as the two of them both lost themselves in their own thoughts for the moment. Kirsten wanted to tell him everything, he felt safe but they hadn't defined that they were anything more than friends yet so she figured that it was best not to unload on him. Sandy's eyes fell on the cork board that was covered with pictures. Slowly he got up from the futon to get a better look at the pictures scattered across the board. The pictures told the story of another world, a glamorous world and it suddenly hit him just how out of his league this girl was. There was a particular guy that Sandy picked out in several different pictures and he was slightly startled when Kirsten stepped next to him glancing down at her feet seeming embarrassed.

"Whatcha looking at?"

Kirsten had ventured however she already knew the answer, she wanted to assure him that those pictures weren't her life anymore but she couldn't bring herself to voice that.

"Is this the ex?"

Sandy had asked pointing at a certain picture of Kirsten with a sandy blonde haired boy both dressed in graduation gowns Kirsten's was unzipped so her sundress underneath was peaking out. They looked like the perfect couple, the guy had his arm slung around her waist holding her close to himself and Kirsten's smile was flawless her arm slung around his waist as well keeping herself secure.

"Yeah that's him."

She had said glancing at the picture before shaking her head internally cursing herself for still having that picture on her board. From the look of the picture Jimmy and her were a couple which at the time they still were but things had changed and clearly they no longer were that couple. Or any couple for that matter Jimmy was doing his own thing and Kirsten was doing her own thing.

"Ah he looks like the perfect guy."

As Sandy mentioned that Jimmy looked like the perfect guy she could tell he seemed a little arrogant about it. Kirsten made her way back to the futon taking a seat crossing her legs pretzel style while Sandy sat down next to her as well.

"pftt perfect in the eyes of the town we grew up in"

"Not so perfect?"

Sandy eyebrows shot up in curiously wondering just what Kirsten meant by that.

"To say the least…

Kirsten laughed at that and shook her head thinking about it.

"So why'd you two break up?"

Hearing this question Kirsten's walls seemed to build up around herself. It seemed as if Sandy noticed this and began to back pedal.

"you don't have to tell me…"

As he began to ramble she placed a soft hand against his forearm to get him to stop and smiled up at him.

"Its fine. Um well we had planned our lives together…we were going to go to USC, then get married after we finished college, he was going to work for my father and I was going to throw fabulous dinner parties…we even had names for our kids…"

Her eyes clouded over as she bit down on her lower lip she wasn't even aware of the sex of the child she had aborted it was too early to tell that but it didn't stop the guilt that would always eat her up when she thought about it. However Kirsten knew it was the best decision in her heart. There was no way she or Jimmy would've been ready for that child. That was when Kirsten had realized it was over between them, she grew up.

"Then you guys just broke up one day?"

Sandy concluded feeling like the guy had changed his mind and wanted to free to do whatever he wanted while at college and not be tied down.

"We…well…I grew up. I realized that ultimately I didn't want my parents life, and if he and I would've gone off to college together that's exactly what I would end up with…my parents life. So I broke up with him, and came to Berkeley. He was my high school boyfriend, high school is over…so its time to move on."

"Yeah? And what do you think…about Berkeley?"

A smirked played across Kirsten's lips her eyes sparkling as she bumped her shoulder against Sandy's.

"Well it has lived up to the hype!"

Sandy smiled brightly down at her laughing as she relayed the same words he had said to her they day they got coffee together.

"Glad to hear it!"

Upon hearing Sandy's statement Kirsten shook her head and smiled brightly nodding her head before pushing herself off of the futon. After she was off of the futon Kirsten began to rummage through her closet once again. Making a few selections of shoes Kirsten pulled them from the bottom of her closet and tossed them into her duffle bag. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Sandy get off the futon as well making his way over to the radio switching it on. Hearing the new noise in the dorm room Kirsten glanced over at him, Sandy held his hand out to her smiling his famous smile.

"May I have this dance?"

Kirsten bit down on her lower lip softly sizing him up before slowly taking a step forward clasping his much larger hand with her own smaller one. Once their hands were clasped together Sandy pulled Kirsten into his body smiling down at her as well as at the closeness of their bodies. Never before had Kirsten felt more safe and secure than she did in this moment with Sandy. His strong hands holding her body close to his caused goose bumps to take over her soft skin.

It was completely random, slow dancing in her dorm room with Sandy Cohen nonetheless. She wasn't naive she heard how some of his friends talked about her, referring to her as the "Newport Princess" among other rude names that Kirsten never pictured herself as. Everything about this day was random however she wouldn't lie she was enjoying herself the unexpected visit was a very welcome one. They continued to dance to the song and Kirsten's head naturally rested on Sandy's shoulder and as his chest began to rumble she lifted her head their eyes meeting. Sandy smiled down at her as he continued to softly sing along to the song. His voice was spectacular and now Kirsten understood why he had gotten the part of Danny Zukoo. After he spun her Sandy pulled her back in still singing the song never faltering as he brought her body closer to his once more. Kirsten was mesmerized by his voice as well as his smooth moves who ever would've guessed?

The song came to an end all too soon and soon and upbeat song rang out in the dorm room. Sandy smiled wiggling his eye brows at her before placing a gentle kiss to her nose and doing the start of the hand jive. Kirsten rolled her eyes at his movements and stepped closer to him before placing her hands over his stilling his movements.

"Save that for the stage Cohen!"

Upon hearing Kirsten's latest comment about saving his hand jive for the stage he pouted slightly his eyes twinkling playfully as he scooped her up in one swift motion twirling her around. The delightful squeal that escaped Kirsten's lips was like music to his ears. As he spun the two of them around Kirsten clung to him for dear life giggling the whole time. Once he set her back down her delicate hands glided easily down his chest her eyes watching her movements as she felt just how toned he was through his shirt. It caused her to bit down on her lower lip, she could only imagine what he looked like under the material slowly her eyes trailed back up his chest to fall into place with his. There was a tension in the air between them and the closeness of their bodies didn't help this tension it only increased it. Their eyes searched one another's and Sandy was the first to speak which wasn't really a first.

"Okay"

His voice was low and husky and Kirsten's brain barely registered what the simple word was even in reference to. As his dark blue eyes took in her profile he couldn't help but admire her piercing baby blue eyes, before a smile spread across his lips his eyes falling to her lips. The moment her hands began to trail down his chest he had to stuck in air. She was stirring feelings in him that he hadn't felt in well, ever not even with Rebecca. The intensity of this moment was literally taking Kirsten's breath away her eyes shifted from his eyes to his lips willing him to make the first move, needing him to make the first move. Every movement was careful neither wanting to mess up this moment, hesitantly Sandy's face began to drift closer to Kirsten's. The anticipation was nearly killing her, she didn't know how much more of this she could handle. Their breath began to mingle with one another's and Sandy's eyes gazed deep down into Kirsten's a smile curving up his lips before he ever so slowly closed the gap between them and brushed his full lips against Kirsten's. When their lips finally meet Kirsten wound her arms around his neck bringing her own body even closer to his reveling in the contact of their bodies. Sandy felt her bring their bodies closer and it caused his heart rate to increase, not that he would admit it to anyone yet but he was falling for this girl. Honestly how couldn't any straight male not fall for her at first sight, she pulls guys in with her classic beauty and radiant smile. Sandy however was discovering the girl she was behind the façade and that was the girl he was falling for not the latter.

Soon enough the kisses began to intensify Kirsten slowly walking backwards as Sandy led her against a wall. He gently pushed her against the wall their kisses growing more and more passionate their lips never parting. Sandy's hands curved around her hips bringing them closer to his own as his tongue darted out and traced her lips smiling as she allowed him entrance. Their tongues engaged in a battle for power, a battle he was winning which caused Kirsten to smirk against his lips. Slowly the two broke apart in desperate need of air, their breathing was staggered both of them trying to catch the breath the other stole from them. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open as her nose brushed lightly against his a smile gracing her profile making her that much more irresistible to Sandy. At the contact of her nose brushing his he couldn't help but laugh softly his eyes falling into place with hers, before he leaned in and placed a soft kiss to her forehead before pulling back and questioning her.

"Let's go do something?"

Sandy had said enthusiastically wanting to get out of her dorm room and get some fresh air. He watched as Kirsten contemplated the offer, seeing her shrug caused him to feel like she didn't entirely want to.

"Sure…um just let me get dressed first"

Kirsten had said laughing slightly almost forgetting that she was still sporting her pajama's. Hearing her statement caused Sandy to smirk slightly letting his eyes take in her attire once again or lack there of, yeah they needed to get out of this room.

"Of course, I'll wait in the hall"

He had offered before walking over to the door and stepping into the hallway. Kirsten smiled grateful that Sandy was such a gentlemen and nodded her head at him as he made his way out of her dorm room. She didn't want to make him wait so she hurriedly grabbed a jean mini skirt tossing it onto her bed before letting her eyes trail over the shirts hanging in her closet. Making a fast decision Kirsten pulled a shirt from her closet and set it with her skirt on her bed before quickly pulling open her dresser and grabbing a clean bra and panties. Once she stripped her pajama's from her slender frame Kirsten stood for a brief moment naked before she began to put on the outfit she had quickly thrown together. Kirsten pulled her panties on before pulling on her short jean skirt that cut off at her mid-thigh. Once her skirt rested securely on her hips she pulled up the zipper and made sure to do the button, then she slid easily into her bra reaching behind her back and doing the clasp. Lastly, Kirsten slipped her simple light pink long sleeve shirt over her head and slid her arms through the sleeves. Now that she was fully dressed Kirsten pulled her blonde hair out of the back of her shirt and gave herself a glance over in the full length mirror. Happy with her appearance Kirsten glanced at the bottom of her closet before sliding her bare feet into a pair of black flip-flops turning on her heel and grabbing a non-flashy clutch. She opened the clutch and tossed some cash into it as well as some lip gloss and her keys as well as a couple other essential items. Kirsten didn't bother putting any makeup but she made sure to put on some deodorant and sprayed on a little perfume taking in her appearance one final time. She switched the light off in her dorm and opened the door, Sandy stumbled back slightly since he was leaning against the door which caused Kirsten to giggle softly.

"Ready?"

She had questioned curiously flashing him her mega watt smile that seemed to work every time. Sandy let his eyes trail over her appearance, and in that instant he knew this girl could wear a trash bag and make it look good. He nodded his head smiling back at her his dark blue eyes twinkling a little as he decided what they were going to do. Kirsten couldn't help but smile softly as she looped her left arm around his right as they began to walk out of the dormitory. Small talk passed between them as they walked, Sandy making comments about the weather once they made it outside among other things. She was realizing that he clearly wasn't too fond of silence. However, if she was being honest with herself Kirsten enjoyed his ramblings, reveling in his ability to have words for almost everything. They were polar opposites normally Kirsten didn't find the need to fill silence with words she was slightly quieter in that respect. The two joked with one another as they made their way away from campus towards the outskirts of downtown Berkeley. As they continued to walk Kirsten glanced over at him and smiled softly curious to where he was leading her, he was more familiar with Berkeley than she was.

"Where are you taking me Cohen?"

At the sound of her voice Sandy glanced down at her and smiled shrugging his shoulders slightly, as his eyes twinkled.

"You'll see!"

She wouldn't lie it was killing her not to know where he was taking her however she had to admit she didn't mind the suspense. While they continued to walk in sink with one another Kirsten stole a quick glance at his profile before bumping her shoulder against his. It was nearly three in the afternoon, and the California air was crisp about seventy degrees and the scenery in Berkeley was beautiful. She still couldn't believe someone like Sandy would actually want to spend time with someone like her. The more she thought about it the less it made sense to her, and she knew she was over thinking things but she just couldn't help it. Kirsten leaned against him slightly as they walked down the sidewalk together Kirsten swinging her clutch with her arm that wasn't looped in Sandy's. He couldn't help but steal a quick glance at her taking in the side of Kirsten's profile a smile pulling up his lips.

Even though things had been going wonderfully between them they had yet to actually go out on an actual date. Sure, they both spent a majority or their time at two different parities together, had coffee, went to the diner, and also watched the sunset together but they still hadn't gone on an actual date. The moment Sandy had seen her this morning he knew that today would be their chance to have an actual date. It semi-surprised him just how much he enjoyed the feeling of Kirsten's arm around his her body randomly brushing against his as they walked down the sidewalk together. The pair stopped walking as they waited for the cross traffic to be given a red light. A breeze blew through and tussled Kirsten's blonde hair slightly and she turned her head to smile at him.

"I'm really curious to see where we're going!"

When he heard her voice his eyes locked with hers and it caused him to smile at her.

"Don't worry just a few more blocks and we'll be there!"

Once he responded that they were nearly there caused Kirsten to nod her head in understanding smiling softly as the light switched and they made their way across the street. Just as Sandy had promised after a few blocks they had finally reached their destination. Sandy began to led Kirsten into the miniature golf course complex and Kirsten laughed softly to herself she was terrible at any kind of golf. It was a sport she had never enjoyed, and it baffled her how so many people enjoyed it.

"Golf? Sandy no I'm horrible…"

Hearing her whine about how she was terrible caused him to smirk slightly shaking his head. Kirsten paused cementing her feet to where she was not wanting to move her arm falling from it's former place looped through Sandy's. He smiled at her resistance glancing over his shoulder before turning and standing in front of her.

"Its miniature golf. I'm sure you're not that bad…but even if you are, I promise I'll help you"

Once he said that he smiled at her wiggling his eyebrows in hopes that she would agree to play a game of miniature golf with him. Kirsten read his tone it was reassuring and hopeful and if this was something he enjoyed then she owed him that much, didn't she? Maybe not. However, as she contemplated it miniature golf could prove to be fun if she was doing awful Sandy could wrap his arms around her and help her. That thought alone was the defying factor for her, that was what made her nod her head in agreement.

"Okay, fine but you have to help me!"

Sandy smiled brightly when she agreed and nodded his head eagerly.

"Of course I will. Come on…"

Kirsten shook her head a little bit internally cursing herself for what she had just gotten herself into. Her bright blue orbs glanced down at his outstretched hand that she accepted before being led off to the small hut like building. After a brief conversation with the guy in the building Sandy handed Kirsten a small club holding one in his own hand and selecting a dark blue ball, urging Kirsten to pick a golf ball. As her eyes roamed over the different options a small smile slid up her lips as she pulled a pink ball from the others and said a soft thanks to the guy in the building.

"Be prepared to be helping me!"

Kirsten had shot in a playful tone to Sandy as they made their way to the first hole. When he heard what she said he smiled shaking his head thinking to himself that there was no way this girl could be that bad at miniature golf. Since in his personal opinion Kirsten couldn't do anything wrong or badly for that matter, and sure maybe that was because of her grace but until proven otherwise Sandy enjoyed thinking highly of her.

"You make it sound like a chore. Ladies first.."

Sandy said in a soft teasing manner winking at her as they reached the first hole, gesturing for Kirsten to get set up. A smirk fell across his lips as Kirsten discreetly bent down placing her pink golf ball onto the turf, she glanced over her shoulder at Sandy giving him a smirk as she began to line her club up with the ball.

"Such a gentlemen"

After she had said that Kirsten smiled and then turned back to the task at hand, gripping the top of the club Kirsten kept her legs aligned with her shoulder width as she gently tapped her pink ball. She bit down on her lower lip as she watched as her golf ball nicked the edge of a rock sending it to the far corner of where the hole was. Once she saw where her ball had ended up she spun around and shrugged her shoulders at Sandy.

"See, I told you I was terrible."

Sandy laughed slightly and shook his head as he made his way over to where Kirsten was he brushed past her his lips grazing against her cheek.

"That wasn't bad."

As he reassured her Kirsten laughed and shook her head leaning back against the short wooden fence that seemed to wrap around the miniature golf course. Sandy set his dark blue golf ball down onto the turf and got himself all aligned. Watching him was very intriguing to Kirsten it wasn't just because he was athletically fit it had everything to do with his concentration and drive. Sandy eyed the distance to the hole and then with his hands gripping the club he pulled back the club just enough to give it a decent tap. Both Sandy and Kirsten's eyes followed the dark blue ball as it glided across the turf and bounced against the back wall and stopped about an inch from the hole.

"Very nice Cohen"

Sandy laughed as he heard her compliment his shot, however he shrugged it off smiling at her.

"Thanks, its your shot"

Upon hearing him inform her that it was her shot she laughed and nodded heading in the direction of where her pink ball had ended up. Kirsten skillfully wedged her club between her golf ball and the wall that it was by and gave it a tap sending it closer to the hole. Sandy's eyes followed her pink golf ball and as it landed closer to the hole he glanced up smiling as their eyes meet, making his way to his ball. Holding his club Sandy got aligned and his dark blue eyes analyzed the distance between the golf ball and the hole before giving it a soft tap. The dark blue ball fell easily into the hole and Kirsten shook her head smirking softly as she shot in a playful tone.

"Show off!"

At her words Sandy shrugged and gave her a wink smiling softly as his eyes shifted to her pink golf ball that wasn't in the hole yet encouraging her to take her next shot. Kirsten rolled her eyes at him and laughed before she moved to her ball and tapped it lightly with her club the golf a mere inch away from the hole. Sighing as the pink ball missed it's intended hole Kirsten bit down on her lower lip and tapped her pink golf ball once again. However, this time she overestimated the distance and her golf ball skidded right over the hole but didn't fall in.

"Ughh"

Kirsten had uttered completely exasperated and it was only the first hole, stealing a glance over her shoulder at Sandy she smirked softly and shook her head before making sure to align herself before she tried again. After she was aligned and ready Kirsten let out a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly before she analyzed the distance and gently tapped her pink golf ball.

"You can do it, Kirsten just relax."

Came from the end of the hole where Sandy had stationed himself just before she had taken her shot. Both of their eyes followed the pink golf ball as it rolled across the turf before gracing their ears with a soft plunk as it dropped into the hole.

"Yes, finally!"

Kirsten had said making her distaste for her personal golf skills apparent, which caused Sandy to shake his head at her. He made his way to her to retrieve his dark blue golf ball from the hole and smiled at her before bending down and pulling both his as well as Kirsten's golf balls from the hole. As he stood back up he handed Kirsten her ball.

"Don't be so hard on yourself…that wasn't bad for your first time"

How had she ever gotten so lucky to have meet a guy like him? Kirsten had wondered a countless times since they had meet. Sandy was just about every girl's fantasy, their ideal guy, the guy most girls would only pray to marry, he was just so sweet and honest in such a genuine way and it would sweep any girl right off her feet. Kirsten smiled before taking a little bow before she melodramatically batted her long eyelashes at him as they began to make their way to the next hole. The pair continued on from hole to hole Sandy making each with little to no effort while it took Kirsten several tries to sink a hole. He could tell her frustration was growing with each hole but the fact that she still seemed to be enjoying herself made him smile. Sandy couldn't help but admire how adorable Kirsten was when she got aggravated. As they reached the eighteenth and final hole, he gestured for her to go and smiled reassuringly.

"Go ahead I'll be right here to help you just like I have been for the past six holes.."

He had said laughing slightly at how he had let her struggle and try on her own before he actually had stepped in and began to help her.

"Okay, you better!"

She had said to him as she began to get herself all lined up gripping the club with her hands, glancing over her shoulder to Sandy wondering what pointers he would give her now. It surprised her slightly as he came up behind her his chest warming her back, as his arms encircled her body his hands gently laying over hers on the small golf club.

"Loosen up a little bit…just relax"

Sandy had said softly into her ear causing a shiver to trail down her spine. He could feel how tense she was just by laying his hands over hers on the club, and once he encouraged her to relax a bit he smiled feeling her let go a little. Kirsten glanced over her shoulder at him their faces millimeters apart caused her to inhale a sharp breath, her heart racing away as their eyes meet. Their breaths mingled with one another's and the moment was so electrically charged Kirsten could feel her knees going weak beneath her from his gaze alone. Slowly she shifted her eyes back to the task at hand loosening up a great deal feeling confident with Sandy behind her helping her guide the club to her pink golf ball. They held onto the golf club together bringing it back slightly tapping Kirsten's pink golf ball sending it skidding across the turf, through the middle of the windmill and sinking right into the hole. After Kirsten saw where her ball had ended up she shrieked with happiness spinning around in Sandy's arms and wrapping her arms around his neck excitedly.

"Oh my god…no way. I got a hole in one!"

Hearing how excited Kristen was about her first ever hole in one caused him to smile happily giving her a gentle squeeze still holding onto her golf club.

"Good job!"

His voice whispered softly into her ear as he clung to her slim waist, inhaling her signature scent being momentarily intoxicated by it.

"Well, it was only because you were helping me."

Kirsten had said softly as she pulled back from their embrace her sapphire eyes gazing deep into his blueish green eyes, and when the light reflected off of them she felt her heart rate double. She could've sworn he was gazing directly into her soul which caused her to catch her breath. A smile curled up Sandy's full lips and just before he could respond to her statement Kirsten leaned into him and brushed her lips against his in a slow almost hesitant kiss. Of course he returned her kiss with a little more conviction feeling beyond comfortable with her. When the pair parted from their kiss he smiled at her and Kirsten mirrored his smile before he replied in an honest tone that she was definitely not used to hearing.

"It was my pleasure"

His response caused Kirsten to giggle softly before spinning out of his embrace and collecting her club from his hands leaning back against the wooden fence resting her club against it as well. She crossed her ankles and reached over taking Sandy's golf club and extending it towards him. He smiled in thanks and took his club getting his golf ball all set up and aligning his body as he studied the distance to the hole. Observing Sandy was extremely entertaining for Kirsten, his concentration was so adorable and with each quality he displayed she found herself liking him more and more. True, he was a natural charming it was just in his personality to be charming and enduring. The blue hues of her eyes followed the length of Sandy's body as he brought his club back slightly and tapped his dark blue golf ball softly sending it down the turf. As the ball went gliding down the turf both sets of eyes watched in anticipation as the dark blue ball went through the bottom of the windmill making it through before it was clipped by the propeller. Once his golf ball made it past the windmill, the hard part was over it rounded against the turf and landed in it's desired place at the bottom of the hole making it known with a clunk.

"Well, I think that means you win!"

Kirsten had said smirking softly as she pushed herself off of the wooden fence moving her golf club around a little bit against the turf. After retrieving both their golf balls from the hole Sandy shrugged slightly and shook his head disregarding his victory.

"I guess, it does…"

The two began to make their way to the final spot where you try and make a hole but the ball is on one side and you have to make it over the water separating the start and the hole. Upon seeing the final hole that they were supposed to do to entirely finish their game Kristen groaned.

"Oh this is going to be embarrassing…"

Kirsten had trailed on rolling her eyes as she already anticipated him urging her to go first stepping up to the starting spot she took her pink golf ball from Sandy's outstretched hand and set it down on the turf.

"You'll do great…just remember to relax, and with this one…hit it a little harder than you were before"

As Kirsten heard Sandy's pointers she glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled softly nodding her head in understanding before turning her attention back to the task in front of her. Exhaling Kirsten eyed where the hole was on the other side of the water and bit down on her lower lip standing up straight and aligning her arms as she gripped onto the club. With a heavy swing Kirsten's club connected with her pink ball and went soaring through the air. Her golf ball made it approximately two inches across the water but didn't have enough power to make it the whole way so it sunk into the water. The moment she heard the sound of her golf ball falling into the water Kirsten groaned and shook her head shrugging her shoulders a little bit.

"Well…I tried, even with an amazing teacher I still couldn't seem to make it."

When Sandy heard what she said he got a little bashful and laughed shrugging his shoulders.

"No one gets that hole…don't worry about it"

His words were so reassuring that she couldn't help but smile and shake her head at him glancing down at her feet as she stepped aside so that he could give it a try. They brushed past one another and Sandy began to get himself all set up at the starting spot. Just before his club collided with the dark blue golf club a thought struck Kirsten.

"Lets make this a little more interesting.."

At the sound of her voice Sandy turned slightly and took in her profile arching an eyebrow curious to what she meant.

"And what did you have in mind?"

A smile took over her face and as their eyes locked he couldn't help but smile at the way the combination of the light and the smile curving her lips made her blue eyes sparkle. Kirsten took a step towards him glancing down at her feet before trailing her eyes back up his frame and landing on his dark blue hues.

"Well _if _you make it….this little adventure can continue. But if you miss this shot, this is where it ends. So, what do you say?"

Sandy contemplated what she had just suggested and tilted his head in thought, breaking their eye contact biting down on his lower lip. He knew how difficult this shot was to make but he really didn't want their time together to end just yet so that increased his determination. Finally he nodded a smirk falling to his lips as he thought of something to make it a little more interesting.

"I say that it sounds like a deal…however if I don't make the shot, I think I deserve a kiss to soften the blow. Do you think that's fair?"

Upon hearing his idea Kirsten laughed softly shaking her head at him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing that it would be all her pleasure to kiss him. Since she did genuinely enjoy kissing Sandy so that wouldn't be anything she'd ever object to doing. Kirsten pretended to think about it before she finally shrugged her shoulders and smirked.

"Okay, I think that's fair enough! Now I think it's your turn…no pressure"

Gesturing to the task at hand Kirsten stepped back to the side and looked on as Sandy got himself all straightened out. When she heard his club connect with his dark blue golf ball her bright blue eyes followed his ball as it soared over across the water and landed on the slanted turf just above the hole. Kirsten sucked in a breath of air her eyes focused on what was happening and as soon as his golf ball rolled down and sunk into the hole she gasped. Both Sandy and Kirsten couldn't believe their eyes, Sandy spun around a smile plastered across his entire face and scooped her up into his arms. Once he picked her up Kirsten squealed softly and clung onto him tightly beyond happy that he did make it because she didn't want their time together to end. Suddenly when he placed her back down onto the ground Kirsten was slightly out of breath from giggling so much, so she inhaled several times to regulate her breathing then smirked over at Sandy.

"No one ever makes that hole…huh?"

Hearing her choice of words caused him to return her smirk and give a playful shrug as if what he just accomplished was no big deal.

"I do believe this means we get to continue on with our little adventure…"

Kirsten smirked softly as she heard what he said about them continuing their adventure and nodded as she began to led Sandy towards the building so that they could return their clubs. After handing over her club the guy in the building addressed Sandy.

"Great shot man! Here you go…that's for making the final shot. This entitles you too one free game of miniature golf!"

Sandy accepted the free game pass before returning his golf club thanking the guy for the pass before he and Kirsten headed out. The two of them began to walk away from the miniature golf course with no particular destination in mind.

"So where to next?"

Kirsten had sort of ventured aloud not expecting Sandy to tell her either way. He glanced over at her as they walked with one another down the sidewalk heading towards downtown Berkeley.

"I'm not sure yet…wherever the night takes us? I mean, do we really need a destination?"

As she heard his reply she smiled loving that he was so free spirited and didn't need a set plan or itinerary for the evening. It was enchanting to her that he could kind of just go wherever the wind blew and be completely content and happy. All of his little quarks, things some would find annoying only seemed to pull Kirsten in more. She loved every second they had spent together thus far and couldn't wait to spend possibly the rest of the night in his company.

"You're right we don't need a destination, just each other."

Once she revealed her thoughts to Sandy, Kirsten bumped her shoulder against his batting her eyelashes at him as they continued down the sidewalk. Silence overtook the air between them as they completed several blocks before finally reaching downtown Berkeley. Kirsten had ventured downtown only once before with Olivia when they first moved in and were looking for something to do besides sitting around their dorm. As she and Sandy walked side by side down the sidewalk Kirsten's eyes washed over all the little shops stealing a quick glance at him when their hands brushed against one another's. Just from the brief contact Kirsten had felt stirrings of the that unfamiliar feeling the tingling that seemed to start in her toes before taking over the rest of her body. She was beginning to realize that this was how _sparks_ felt feeling bold she reached over and captured his hand in hers weaving her fingers between his. By this point in time it was nearly five o'clock and the night was only just starting for the pair.

Once they began to pass an art gallery Kirsten's eyes immediately were drawn in to the painting adorning the walls. She paused in their walking pulling on his hand a little as she made her way towards the front of the shop. As she peered in through the large front glass window Sandy glanced over at her and noticed how full of life her eyes were and knew she wanted to go inside.

"Let's go in…no whining!"

Kirsten said before tugging on Sandy's hand a little as she led them into the art gallery her eyes taking in the spectacular paintings. Sharing something like this with him was special for her because Jimmy never showed much interest in doing things like this. Growing up in Newport meant that most of their outings were on yachts, beaches, south coast plaza, country clubs, and either one of their houses. They stopped in front of a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci and Sandy watched as Kirsten admired the painting tilting her head deep in thought. Watching her think was a beautiful sight to him she crinkled her nose absentmindedly and bit down on the corner of her bottom lip.

"Wow…this one's pretty intense."

The sound of his voice broke her out of her trance and caused her to shift her eyes and take in Sandy's profile before her blue eyes trailed up to the painting he was referring to.

"Yeah, Monet is an expert. I mean just look at his use of color in this picture."

As he heard what she said he was struck by her intelligence she knew the painting because of its display not because of the nameplate underneath. He once again got distracted by watching her admiring the painting displayed on the wall in front of them. The title of the painting was Venice Twilight and from the colors smeared across the former white surface Sandy knew it must have been a breath taking sight. Kirsten leaned up on her tip toes slightly to get a better look at the colors that seemed to mix together still keeping a hold on Sandy's hand.

"It must have been a breathtaking sight"

Upon hearing what he said caused Kirsten to nod her head in agreement giggling softly as a thought struck her.

"Yeah…kind of like when we went to the beach two weeks ago"

She had said playfully giving the painting one last look leading them onto the next one that was hanging on the wall. Sandy glanced down hearing what she said then his eyes caught the back of her head and he followed her to the next painting giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Exactly!"

After he gave her hand a gentle squeeze the two continued to walk around the gallery sort of aimlessly. Observing the painting and enjoying each other's company it was simple but a lot of fun. Kirsten would captivate Sandy when she pointed out particular strengths the artist on display had and then they would progress to the next painting. They had neared the end of the gallery and as Kirsten began to educate him on the artist being displayed he couldn't help but stare at her adoringly. He hadn't ever heard her talk so much before and Sandy decided that he would gladly cut back on his rambling to listen to hers. She had such an angelic voice and he was utterly enthralled by her happy that she had pulled him into this gallery. Finishing off her rambling Kirsten glanced to her side taking in Sandy's profile and blushing softly under his gaze.

"Sandy…why are you looking at me like that?"

Kirsten had questioned him unsure on why he was just staring at her the way he was it was making it hard to breath, hard to stand, hard to do anything really.

"Huh? I'm not looking at you in any special way…"

He had stammered out trying his best to act as if he wasn't caught staring at her.

"You totally were!"

"Okay…I was, and I'm sorry I just can't help it though, you're just so gorgeous. And how you express your passion for art in an intelligent way, its captivating."

When she heard his confession she couldn't help but smile giving his hand a gentle squeeze before leaning up on her tip toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Come on, lets get out of here!"

Before he could answer Kirsten had tugged on his hand gently leading him out of the art gallery and back onto the sidewalk. The two had surprisingly spent an hour in the gallery and it was now six o'clock and when they stepped back outside they began to journey downtown again.

"So, are you hungry?"

The moment he questioned her about being hungry Kirsten realized she hadn't eaten anything all day and was struck by how she hadn't felt hungry until he had mentioned food.

"I could eat! I mean I woke up at noon today so I missed breakfast…and then I skipped lunch. So yeah, I could eat. "

Kirsten had said laughing as she finished her statement wondering what kind of food he had in mind for dinner.

"No wonder you're so skinny."

Sandy had shot in a playful tone once she informed him that she hadn't eaten anything all day.

"Hey! Its not like I do that all the time."

As she heard what he said about her being skinny Kirsten almost felt half insulted, especially since in Newport there was so much pressure put on outer appearance.

"I never said it was a bad thing."

"Well…for your information, I do eat."

When he heard her stressing to him that she does indeed him caused him to smirk as he swung their laced hands a little bit stealing a quick glance before checking both ways before they crossed the street.

"I believe you… I mean we did share fries on Halloween."

A smile tugged up Kirsten's lips as she heard his reference to that fateful Halloween night, where they shared their first official kiss.

"Yes we did…and well good, you should."

Once she replied Sandy couldn't help but laugh a little he knew the perfect meal for tonight, as well as the perfect place for this meal to be held. He bumped her shoulder with his own as they walked further down the sidewalk. When they reached a little liquor store Sandy suggested they go inside and grab something to drink for dinner. Kirsten nodded her head in agreement following him into the liquor store glancing around at the bottles of liquor. The store was dimly lit and caused Kirsten to squint slightly to make out particular labels, slowly she released Sandy's hand.

"I'm going to go use the ladies room, I'll be right back."

Kirsten had said in a soft tone as she ventured off to the back of the store pushing open the ladies room door. When she disappeared towards the back of the store Sandy went over to the wine desperately trying to make a decent selection. One that was generously priced but was still of quality, he scratched the back of his head exhaling he knew that she'd probably tasted the best liquor which was something he was well aware that he wouldn't be able to provide. Frowning slightly Sandy shrugged and made a decision pulling a bottle of wine from the shelf and making his way to the register to buy the wine. Meanwhile Kirsten unlocked her stall making her way to the sink twisting on the water putting her hands under the flowing water then lathered her delicate hands with soap before rising the suds from her skin. After all the soap suds were cleared from her soft skin Kirsten switched off the water and then dried her hands off with some paper towel's. Tossing the used paper towels into the waste bin Kirsten glanced up at her refelction in the cheap cracked mirror giving herself a reassuring smile fixing her hair a little before pulling the door open. Kirsten made her back into the liquor store her bright blue eyes scanning over the people occupying the store in search of Sandy. She had spotted him at the register the clerk handing over a brown paper bag, which caused her to smirk. Clearly he had made a decision without her help and she wondered what kind of alcohol he had settled on. Once Sandy paid for the wine and retrieved the brown paper bag that the clerk had put it in he turned on his heel prepared to wait for wait for Kirsten but her voice stopped him.

"So what did you get?"

She had said in a curious fashion her eyes probing him to tell her what he had deiced on.

"Oh you'll have to wait and see…"

Sandy smirked and shrugged his shoulders a little bit not willing to let her in on his selection. Since he didn't want to spoil the surprise, he just hoped it didn't taste to horrible he had never really drank wine so he wasn't sure how to select it. As they stepped back outside Kirsten reached out for Sandy's hand, once again lacing her fingers between his as they walked down the sidewalk the aroma of pizza filled her nostrils. Oh, how she loved pizza and as she inhaled the scent she couldn't remember the last time she actually had a slice of pizza.

"Can we please get pizza…it smells so good! Please Sandy"

Kirsten had said in a pleading tone little did she know that pizza was exactly what Sandy had in mind for their meal. He smirked slightly at her pleading as her chin rested against his shoulder her big blue eyes hopeful. Tugging her hand gently Sandy led them towards the pizza place, his eyes meeting hers causing him to smile.

"Pizza sounds perfect!"

They walked into the pizza place and Kirsten's eyelids fell over her eyes as she inhaled the tasty aroma that filled the small building. When her eyelids fluttered open she bit down on her lower lip glancing over at Sandy before her eyes shifted around the occupants and workers.

"What kind of pizza do you like?"

When he heard her question him about what kind of pizza he liked he let out a sigh as he thought about it.

"Pretty much anything…pepperoni is probably my favorite"

Nodding in understanding Kirsten stepped up to the register.

"Pepperoni it is!"

Sure pepperoni wasn't her favorite but she did like it, so it was her second choice maybe her third but Kirsten thought she could do this much for him. Sandy had already done so much for her surprising her today taking her miniature golfing, buying a bottle of liquor, Kirsten could buy a pizza. As a girl approached the counter addressing Kirsten she smiled before beginning to inform her what kind of pizza they wanted.

"Can I get a large pepperoni pizza please?"

The girl beyond the register punched in their order and then asked if it was for dinning in or carryout, stealing a quick glance from Sandy she responded with _carryout_. Next the girl voiced a total and Kirsten nodded her head pulling her clutch from around her wrist and unzipping it. After fishing in her clutch for a few seconds Kirsten found the desired cash and handed it over to the girl behind the counter. The pizza was paid for and the girl returned Kirsten's change before she walked over to give the order to the guys in the back making the pizza's. Sandy was surprised that she had stepped up and paid for the pizza and that she bought a pepperoni one for that matter she hadn't even told him what kind she preferred. He honestly hadn't meet anyone who was like her.

"You didn't have to do that…"

Sandy had said giving her a look that caused her to blush, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear shrugging.

"Well I figured I owed you one. You bought the coffee, fries and the milkshake…plus paid for miniature golf, and alcohol…all things you didn't have to do..so, I figured it was my turn."

When she put it in that way he understood however, Sandy was old school like that. Truthfully he didn't mind being the gentlemen and paying for her, he enjoyed every second of it. The way her eyes would wash over him with such an air of apprecation and slight surprise, it made it all worth while to him. Sandy nodded his head in understanding brushing his hand against the small of her back leading her to the bench where carryout customers waited. They sat down on the bench and Kirsten leaned against him inhaling the scent once again her stomach growling silently causing her hand to fall to her stomach giving it a gentle rub.

"Hungry huh?"

Sandy had said softly hearing her stomach rumble over all the commotion in the pizza place.

"Uh…yeah you heard that?"

Kirsten laughed shaking her head glancing down at her bare sun kissed legs before replying.

"Yeah. But don't worry its no big deal"

He reassured which caused Kirsten to smile leaning back against Sandy as they waited for their pizza. After about a thirty minute wait their order was called and Kirsten hurriedly made her way to collect the pizza. Sandy laughed softly watching her scurry up to the counter and retrieve the box containing their dinner. A huge smile slid across her lips and which only caused Sandy to smile holding open the door for her as they walked out of the pizza place heading back towards the direction of campus. Before they turned down a grim alley reaching an abandoned parking garage where a mail truck was parked. Kirsten raised an eyebrow slightly confused at what they were doing here.

"Sandy what are we doing here? Can't we just go back to my dorm or the house and eat the pizza already?"

He shook his head at her suggestion smirking slightly as he began to fish into his pocket for his keys. Once he found them he smiled triumphantly showing them to Kirsten as he began to unlock the mail truck.

"Wait…what are you doing? Why do you have keys to this mail truck?"

"Stop asking so many questions…wait here"

Sandy said smiling as he leaned into her and pressed a soft kiss to her nose before disappearing into the mail truck. Kirsten stood there shaking her head slightly at what had just happened between the two of them, she held the pizza in her arms and glanced around the deserted area. As he stepped inside of the mail truck Sandy smiled seeing the blankets he had stashed there along with the plastic red cups. Pulling two of the blankets from the pile Sandy laid them down smoothing them out before pulling the wine from the brown paper bag and setting it next to the cups. His eyes darted around the truck before spotting what he was looking for grabbing the candles from the front seat Sandy dug in his pocket for his lighter. Once he had finally found it he lit the candles and set them up skillfully around the inside of the mail truck. Running a hand through his mop of black hair Sandy pushed open the door smiling down at Kirsten gesturing toward the inside of the mail truck.

"Dinner my lady?"

Being the gentlemen he was Sandy took the pizza from her hands and held out his right hand to help her into the mail truck. Kirsten laughed softly completely blown away by his effort this was something she'd never done, had dinner in the back of a mail truck. Honestly she'd never seen the inside of a mail truck before so it was exciting.

"Sandy…wow, this is amazing. You really didn't have to do all of this"

Kirsten had said softly very touched by the effort he was making having enough knowledge to know that it was for her own benefit. He was showing her who he was, his world and Kirsten was finding that she had loved every second of it thus far.

"I'm glad you like it…and yeah I know I didn't have to…but I wanted to"

They sat across each other Kirsten sitting expertly considering the skirt she had on the box of pizza in the space between them, and as he replied Kirsten realized that nothing more needed to be said. Too much could ruin this special moment, so instead she glanced down at the box of pizza and then back up into his eyes.

"Can we eat now? You have no idea how hungry I am"

Laughing softly at her comment about being hungry Sandy nodded his head grabbing a couple of paper plates and a stack of napkins. Handing over a paper plate to Kirsten who said a soft thanks glancing down at the box of pizza as she pulled open the lid her jaw dropping slightly at the sight before her. It looked beyond delicious to her, reaching into the box she selected a slice and set it onto her respective paper plate. Meanwhile Sandy was busy popping the cork off of the bottle of wine he bought grabbing two plastic cups and pouring some wine into both cups reaching across the box of pizza to hand Kirsten her cup.

"To continuing our adventure"

Sandy had proposed toasting to their evening together holding his cup over the box of pizza.

"To continuing our adventure"

Kirsten had mimicked clinking her plastic cup against his over the box of pizza a smile gracing her face as he mirrored her smile taking a sip from his own cup holding her gaze. She lifted the cup to her lips as she took a sip the wine passed her lips and danced on against her taste buds. After the wine passed from her lips and contacted her tongue she had done her best not to grimace at the taste. Their eyes locked and when Sandy finally tasted the wine he groaned in distaste.

"Ugh and people actually like this stuff?"

She watched as he eyed the bottle of wine, before she placed her cup down and took a sizeable bite from her slice of pizza. Plucking several napkins from the stack Kirsten wiped her mouth and shook her head.

"Oh, its not that bad Sandy…"

When he heard what she said he raised a bushy eyebrow at her pulling a slice of pizza from the rest and taking a bite of it before setting it down on his paper plate.

"Okay fine…it is kind of bad. But you know after a few more sips you won't even notice"

Kirsten had said laughing to lighten the mood hoping that he wasn't going to beat himself up over his selection of wine. She made a mental note to herself to make sure from now on she selected their liquor, shaking her head a little bit she took another sip from her cup before taking another bite of her pizza. Sandy nodded his head in agreement his attention returning to his pizza, silence taking over the mail truck as they two were both consumed in devouring their respective slices of pizza. Once Kirsten had an empty plate she wiped her mouth and grabbed her glass downing the rest of her wine, reaching for the bottle and pouring herself some more. She took a sip from her refilled cup before grabbing another slice of pizza from the box and taking a bite. He stole a glance over at Kirsten her blonde hair had fallen into her face as she glanced down at her pizza that was on her paper plate. When he finished his first slice he claimed another from the box and began to eat it, glancing over at Kirsten as she carefully took another bite from her slice. Sandy couldn't help but think of just how cute she looked taking small and precise bites from her slice of pizza trying desperately not to get any pizza sauce on herself. The candles flickered and created such a romantic mood, Kirsten loved the mood he was setting. Kirsten placed her half eaten piece of pizza onto her paper plate she reached towards her cup her fingers curving around it as she tipped it back taking a long drink. By this time Sandy had finished his wine as well as his second piece of pizza, reaching for a third. It was her turn to observe him as he ate she smiled to herself watching him take random size bites of his pizza clearly savoring the taste. Kirsten bit down on her lower lip softly glancing down so she wouldn't be caught staring as she grabbed her slice of pizza and took several more bites before finishing it off. She wiped off her fingers as well as her mouth and pushed her paper plate off of the blanket and over by where the bottle of wine was stationed.

"Did you want anymore?"

Sandy's eyes meet hers as he glanced up from his final bite of pizza. After he finished off chewing his bite he nodded _yes_ watching as she closed up the box and moved it over to where the wine was taking his used plate and setting it on top of hers. He grabbed a napkin from the stack wiping his mouth and fingers of any pizza sauce or grease, before his strong hand wrapped around the neck of the bottle of wine as he poured himself another glass offering Kirsten a refill. Giving Sandy a nod Kirsten watched as red liquid tumbled into her cup and cause the liquid to rise significantly.

"Thanks"

All he could do was nod before placing the bottle of wine back in it's former place by the box of pizza. The two leaned back against several pillows Sandy had left there a while ago shortly after Rebecca had gone MIA. He had found the mail truck by accident and about a month or two after Rebecca disappeared he would hide out here, it was quiet he could be alone and not have to deal with everyone's pity. Sandy had closed himself off to people, mainly girls afraid to feel anything real for anyone after what _she _had done to him. Shaking the bad memories from his head Sandy was aware that he still had a wall up but he felt it very slowly coming down. However, he didn't want to think of anything but this moment with Kirsten, he found her so sweet, caring, and not to mention beautiful but not in an obnoxious way. Hell when Sandy had told her she was insanely beautiful at the beach she glanced down as if she didn't believe it. Conversation sparked between them while they sipped the wine from their plastic cups in the candle lit mail truck. Shaking her head at Sandy's latest statement their bickering began Kirsten disagreeing with his most recent thought. Finishing off her wine Kirsten giggled at him as he tried to defend his position. Grabbing the bottle of wine she refilled her cup before taking note of the lack of liquid in Sandy's cup and filling his up as well. The two began their bickering once again taking sips of their respective cups holding an intense gaze the air between them being engulfed in a sexual tension that they were both aware was there. Letting out a gentle breath Kirsten opposed what he said about show tunes, not considering it the best music or real music for that matter. Sandy laughed and shook his head at her response changing the subject of discussion. A subject he found Kirsten was rather passionate about as she advocated for her side he smiled at how adorable she was when she got all riled up. The two took several more sips from their cups giggling and arguing back and fourth for what seemed like hours. After their most recent squabble they both glanced down at their empty cups reaching for the bottle of wine their hands brushing against the bottle. As soon as their hands brushed Kirsten's eyes shifted up to meet his feeling her cheeks flush under his gaze, thankful for the dim candle light she couldn't peal her eyes from his. It was as if it was all happening in slow motion as he grabbed her face and captured her lips with his own. Kirsten smiled against his lips her hands grasping to his shirt as she returned his passionate kiss. Once they parted from the kiss the two were out of breath and Sandy smirked at her pressing a adoring kiss to her forehead. And then he wrapped his hand around the neck of the bottle of wine pouring the remaining wine into their cups. She gave him an innocent smile as she took a sip of her wine. After she swallowed the wine their bickering was ignited once again, the pair polishing off a bottle of wine and Kirsten feeling just like a giddy school girl around Sandy. He was definitely one of a kind and she loved the way they would bicker both always thinking their position was the right one. It was only a matter of time before one of them would falter, they couldn't keep pretending that they were just friends could they? Friends don't normally kiss each other at least not the way these two kiss each other.

TBC….

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><p><strong>AN: **I know I know Kirsten's speech about her and Jimmy's break up is pretty much exactly what she said to Summer in season 4 however I couldn't help it. To use a line from the great Sandy Cohen _it just felt right_ to write it in that way. Since I have always thought Kirsten was much wiser for her age in comparison to most other woman. Maybe she's not but that's how I felt, so I figured I could express that she'd always been a little wiser than most girls her age even in college. Hopefully that didn't hinder your liking of this chapter. Also I really didn't like how I finished this chapter but it was about three am today when I finally finished this so be kind. If you got this far…and you're still liking what I'm coming up with I'd love to hear all about it. Whether its criticism or praise I'd love to hear it either way…reviews honestly keep me writing!(:


	6. Thanksgiving Break

**A/N: **Hey there loyal readers, this chapter switches location and I took it upon myself to add in locations. A little soapy possibly I don't know, I've never included locations in the way I did in this chapter so let me know what you think about it! Also this chapter just a little of a forewarning is kind of centered around Kirsten, with mentions of Sandy of course. But it sheds some light on Kirsten's family life, as well as her life before she left Newport. I hope I did this justice. For me this was just what I had envisioned of her life post four months of college at Berkley…bring on the start of her rebellion, maybe? Haha. Ooh and I'd like to give a special thanks to sunluverr, and Addie9 who have been consistently reviewing this story..you guys always inspire me to continue writing this story! thank you thank you thank you..and I am sorry its taken me so long to update. Anyways...on with it, as always if there are any similarities between any other Kandy stories it is completely **unintended. **Please enjoy, everyone(:

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><p>A little dialogue inspiration I suppose…and maybe its an interesting choice? Haha<p>

Season 1- The Pilot

Jimmy: I'm sure they're not doing anything we didn't do.

Kirsten: Ah that's comforting.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Thanksgiving Break<strong>

**Wednesday: Back in Newport**

After the thirty five minute cab ride Kirsten had arrived back into the Newport bubble that she was raised in. This bubble felt toxic to Kirsten, all of a sudden it was clear that she had began to change at Berkeley. Once they reached the all too familiar gate Kirsten rolled her window down nodding to the gateman letting him know it was her. He waved a hand greeting Kirsten who smiled in return before rolling up the window shielding herself from the sun. The cab wound its way through the community and as it reached the top of the hill Kirsten rolled her eyes at the oversized mansion. The cabbie hurriedly popped the trunk before opening his own door and pulling open Kirsten's. Glancing up at him Kirsten smiled at his chivalry before stepping out of the cab. The driver retrieved her duffle bag from the trunk and handed it over to Kirsten who smiled before handing over more than enough cash to cover the cab ride. After letting out an exasperated breath Kristen began to climb the stairs that led to the front door with her duffle bag and purse in hand.

Twisting the handle of the large oak door Kirsten pushed against it and entered the mansion. Not hearing a single sound other than her own movements caused her to sigh. Her family was quite the welcome wagon. There was no sign of anyone else in the house until their maid rounded the corner and beamed as she greeted Kirsten.

"Hello Miss Kirsten!"

Kirsten smiled softly at their maid as she dropped her duffle bag to the floor. Her eyes trialed lazily over the fixtures in the foyer before they locked back with the maid's eyes.

"Hey Rita…so where is everyone?"

Rita stepped slightly closer glancing down before glancing back up at Kirsten.

"Mr. Nichol left for work early this morning according to Mrs. Nichol. And as for Mrs. Nichol she and Miss Hailey went to the store to pick up a couple last minute items for the Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Would you like me to take your bag to your room Miss Kirsten?"

As Rita began explaining her families whereabouts Kirsten nodded her head. Of course no one was around when she returned home. Shaking her head Kirsten smiled and declined Rita's offer.

"Oh no, its fine Rita I got it…but thank you!"

After informing Rita that she could manage Kirsten began to ascend the grand staircase with her duffle bag and her purse slung over her shoulder. The house was silent and it reminded Kirsten very much of her childhood, he dad was always gone building his empire or whatever, and her mom well even though she was there…she wasn't really there. That was why Kirsten had spent most of her time away from the lonely mansion finding solace in Jimmy as well as her friends. Shaking those thoughts from her head Kirsten bit down on her lower lip softly pushing open her bedroom door. As her eyes took in the very familiar room she sighed to herself feeling as if she didn't belong here. Kirsten dropped her duffle bag on her floor next to her bed before walking over to her door and pushing it closed. Once her door was closed she walked over to her plush queen sized bed falling backwards onto the sheets.

While laying back against her bed Kirsten's eyes slipped shut and her mind began to wander. She really hoped that she wouldn't have to see Jimmy tomorrow at Thanksgiving or for the rest of the time she was home for that matter. Sandy invaded her thoughts as he had so often recently. Yesterday he had surprised her, showing up randomly causing her to be slightly embarrassed by her attire but it quickly vanished. Kirsten couldn't explain it but she just felt comfortable, safe, around him. Pushing herself up onto her elbows the hues of her blue eyes scanned across the room that used to be her sanctuary before she left for Berkeley. Kirsten let out a breath she wasn't aware that she was holding in and shook the thoughts that so often plagued her mind. Once she got off her bed Kirsten made her way to her vanity sliding open the middle drawer hoping that her mother hadn't found the bottle. To her delight the bottle of vodka lay unopened in the drawer. Swiping it from the drawer she unscrewed the top of the bottle taking a swing before making her way out onto her balcony.

Pulling the French doors open Kirsten stepped out onto her personal balcony, her blue eyes taking in the shimmering ocean. The harsh rays of the sun danced against the crashing waves causing them to glisten slightly. Her black fingernails blurred together with the railing of her balcony as her left hand curled around the metal leaning against it slightly before lifting the bottle of vodka to her lips and taking another long swig. The goal of this weekend was to avoid Jimmy at all costs, and hopefully avoid all squabbles with her father. A smile fell to her lips as the events of yesterday replayed in her mind, falling asleep in the mail truck with Sandy after a full day of activities many couples would engage in. His teasing along with his support and genuine honesty made him excellent company, and it made Kirsten love all the time they spent with one another. Nonchalantly she took another swig from the bottle of vodka pausing as she heard the unmistakable sound of her little sister bounding up the grand staircase. Hurriedly Kirsten spun on her heel and re-entered her bedroom grabbing the cap off her vanity counter twisting it back on the top of the bottle. Pulling open the middle drawer on her vanity Kirsten skillfully hid the bottle in the drawer just in time as her bedroom door sprung open.

"Kirsten!" Hailey had said excitedly bouncing up and down as she ran full force at Kirsten wrapping her small arms around Kirsten's waist.

"Hey Hails" Kirsten responded laying a hand against Hailey's back rubbing it a couple times before patting the top of her head.

Before the two could talk about anything else Rose Nichol, appeared in the doorway smiling at the sight of her daughters. Releasing Hailey at the sight of her mother Kirsten hurried towards her mother, slinging her arms around Rose's neck in a tight embrace. "Mom"

After several seconds Rose released Kirsten but kept her at an arms length letting her eyes run over her daughters lanky figure scrutinizing how thin she seemed to be. "Have you been eating Kirsten?"

Rolling her eyes to the heavens at her mothers question Kirsten responded. "Of course I've been eating Mom!"

Nodding her head Rose smiled softly and then brushed a strand of Kirsten's blonde hair from her eyes. "Good, I know you forget to eat sometimes cause you're too stressed and all. So, I'm glad to hear that you haven't forgotten, but if I do say so myself you're looking rather thin darling." Kirsten glanced down shaking her head. Both her parents were always so consumed with upholding outer appearances and such it was draining. Her mother's voice caused her to glance back up meeting a pair of almost lifeless gray blue eyes.

"I want to hear everything, how are your classes? How is the campus? The parties, the boys" Rose said the last statement winking at Kirsten which received a laugh and a playful push from Kirsten.

"Mom!"

Rose shrugged her shoulders at Kirsten before slinging her arm around Kirsten's shoulder and turning her towards the door and leading them out of her bedroom and down the corridor. The three made their way down the stairs and Hailey hurried off to the living room switching on the television set and plopping herself down on the couch. Kirsten followed her mother into the kitchen and situated herself at the kitchen island on one of the high stools nodding as her mom wordlessly offered her a glass of ice tea. For some reason Kirsten found herself paying careful attention to her mothers actions trying to gauge if there were any differences. Desperately trying to figure out if it was all an act or if her mom was truthfully doing alright, that things were honestly going okay in the Nichol household since Kirsten's departure. As the ice cubes clicked in the two glasses Kirsten lifted her eyes from the counter top and focused them on her mother's face and the drawn out dark circles under the layer of makeup. That wasn't necessarily surprising to Kirsten, her mom had been hiding herself under a blanket of alcohol for quite sometime, so many of her nights were alcohol fueled slumbers. It did however sadden her greatly that her father seemed to neglect this clear addiction her mother had.

"So, Mom how have things been around here?"

"Oh, same old same…nothing new to report."

Kirsten arched an eyebrow not entirely convinced that was the truth but shrugged her shoulders not wanting to pry and upset her mother. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, darling I'm sure. Now tell me about Berkeley!" Rose's voice resounded through the kitchen causing Kirsten to catch the drift that her mother clearly didn't want her to worry.

"What do you want to hear it's school…its not like I'm out engaging in criminal activity." Kirsten said with a small chuckle wondering just what kind of activities her mother thought she was partaking in.

"Yes, but how are the parties? The boys? I know how focused you are on your studies sweetheart but please tell me you've been partaking in the normal college life, socializing, meeting new people." Rose said situating herself on the stool next to Kirsten at the island, noting the smile that pulled up Kirsten's lips.

"The parties are good. Different, well from like a typical Newport event, you know? My roommate is awesome, she's pretty much my best friend there and we've made quite an impression on certain people I guess, that's what I've heard, anyways. And as far as the boys go, well they're good; attractive, funny." Kirsten said nonchalantly as she took a sip from her ice tea. Her eyes glazing over as she thought of Sandy and how much of an impression he had made on her in the little amount of time that they'd spent together.

Rose noticed the glazed over laziness that took over those bright blue orbs and concluded that _She's happy, _from the look written across Kirsten's features and quickly put the pieces together there must be a special guy. "So, there's a guy?"

Kirsten beamed her eyes lighting up as she laughed softly nodding her head finally meeting her mothers eyes. "Yeah, he's…I've never met anyone like him before and I just…" Kirsten began to trail on tilting her head as she let her pointer finger trace the rim of her glass her mind drifting to the date Sandy had surprised her with just yesterday before she flew home for Thanksgiving.

"You really like him huh? This is huge Kirsten…I mean you only ever dated Jimmy, maybe you should mess with his head, play the field a little more, get some more experience?"

"Mom!" Kirsten's head shot up at the suggestion shaking her head warily, was that what Sandy thought about her, that she was _inexperienced_? It caused her stomach to lurch forward she knew she shouldn't have been indulging in her crystal clear drug on an empty stomach. "I do really like him, and I don't think messing with his head or playing the field would help me win him over." She said sadly as she began to think that maybe she shouldn't jump into anything just yet with Sandy, maybe her mom was right.

"Wait, he hasn't asked you out yet? What is his problem?" Rose piped up taking a sizable gulp of her own ice tea as she eyed her daughter awaiting a response.

"No he hasn't. We're just-hanging out, not complicating things with labels you know?"

"Well, so if you're not officially a couple then you could go play the field." Rose said raising an eyebrow trying to figure out this arrangement Kirsten seemed to be in.

"What? No, its not like that." Kirsten said wishing with her whole heart that she believed it, but deep down she knew that her mother was right. And that only meant that not only could she play the field but so could Sandy and she couldn't really get mad at him for it because they had never established that they were anything more than friends.

"Whatever you say Kirsten, just be careful ok?"

"Mom, Sandy would never do anything to hurt me. He just wouldn't." Kirsten said smiling slightly because she knew that he would never intentionally hurt her, and that thought alone made her heart beat faster, he was one of the good ones.

"Tell me about him? I want the details, where did you meet, what dates have you two have gone on, everything."

"Everything? Okay, well I guess I'll start at the beginning, we met on campus he was soliciting people to vote for Model and Ferro, don't worry I turned him down." She said softly to placate her mother more than anything. "And well he offered to take me to coffee to tell all about why they were gonna lose and the way his eyes pierced me I just realized I couldn't turn him down. So, he took me to coffee and he paid, opened the door for me, very chivalrous and then we just talked, teased each other and it was just…" Kirsten trailed off her eyes clouding over at the memory of the day they meet trying to find a word to describe how it was, to describe the feelings he gave her.

"That sounds really sweet."

"It was, and then we didn't see each other for a while, which wasn't a big surprise because he is an upperclassmen in his last year at Berkeley then he'll be off to law school. But anyways Olivia insisted on me coming to this Halloween party with her and her boyfriend Paul, and they had decided to take it upon themselves to set us up on a blind date. Paul's roommate, my blind date was Sandy and when the boys showed up to take us to the party Sandy was hiding behind a brown paper bag, I felt like I was on a date with the elephant man." Kirsten said laughing softly at the way things had turned out between her and Sandy on that fateful Halloween night. "He wouldn't tell me who he was which I didn't think was very fair but then I ended up figuring it out on my own because he said something that I had said to him when we got coffee. However, as soon as I figured it out we were being pulled into the party and lost each other in the madness."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you're going out and meeting new people, not dwelling on Jimmy."

Kirsten rolled her eyes at her mom's comment and shrugged her shoulders a little bit. "Yeah, well so eventually Sandy and I found each other in the crowded house and several drinks in and we were both feeling the effects of the alcohol, I kept pleading with him to take off the bag but he wouldn't budge. So, I led him out into the alley and pushed him back against the wall and lifted the paper bag just far enough to expose his lips and then I kissed him." Kirsten bit down on her lower lip for the first time not entirely sure on how to continue she glanced down curling her fingers around her glass and lifting it to her lips rewetting her throat.

"That's my girl, going after what she wants." Rose said smiling fondly at her daughter before taking a sip of her respective glass of ice tea.

"Only with alcohol in me." Kirsten said softly with a little snicker.

"No, you always go after what you want Kirsten. Alcohol, or not. When you know what you want you go after it, until you get it…and you get that from your father. " Rose said matter-of-factly smiling at her daughter as she brushed a strand of Kirsten's blonde hair behind her ear.

"Sure." Kirsten said shaking her head hating that her mother just lumped Kirsten in with her father.

"Okay, sorry I interrupted. What else happened?" Rose said pushing herself up off the stool next to island beginning to busy herself around the kitchen.

"Well after we kissed, he started teasing me and by the time we made our way out of the alley he grabbed my hand and led me to this dingy little diner where we shared a milkshake and fries just laughing teasing one another and having a good time. Then after that I didn't see him until a week later when I went with Olivia to a party at the guys house," Kirsten said leaving out the minor details about him showing up and her hiding on the fire escape to avoid him, she continued. "and Sandy was locked away studying when I got there and the only way he would come out was if I agreed to go on a date with him. Eventually I gave in and he and I were together most, if not all of the night just enjoying each others company and by the end of the night we found ourselves stationed on the couch just joking around, and that's when I realized the time.." Kirsten began to trail on as she recalled the sparks she felt the goosebumps she got from the closeness of their bodies.

Rose looked up from her pans when she realized Kirsten was deep in thought, seeing Kirsten's facial features relax and a natural smile pull up those light pink lips caused her to smile herself. All she ever wanted was her daughters happiness, and seeing Kirsten now Rose knew that going to Berkeley and defying her father was exactly what Kirsten needed to do.

Kirsten let her fingers strum against the island counter as she thought back to that night he was so sweet, placing her safety as his main priority. He made her smile even more than she thought she'd ever smiled before he was one of the few good guys left. Sure they were very different from one another but that didn't seem to deteriorate her likeness towards him, and vise versa.

As soon as Rose glanced up she looked expectedly at Kirsten waiting for her to continue, smiling as she broke her eldest daughter from her daydream. "And…?"

Upon hearing her mother's voice Kirsten lifted her eyes up to meet her mothers letting out a little laugh as she tucked and errant strand of her blonde hair behind her ear shrugging her shoulders. "And, because it was so late Sandy suggested that I crash on his bed and that he'd take the couch. I began to argue with him but he's just as stubborn as I am, and wouldn't hear it so I let him lead me to his bedroom and then told him the bed was big enough for both of us and that we could share it. However he still insisted on sleeping on the couch, saying that it wasn't a big deal he just wanted me to feel comfortable. This time though I won and so he offered me some of his clothes to sleep in and then we-"

"Oh my god Kirsten you slept with him?" Rose said in a hushed tone not wanting her youngest daughter to overhear this conversation.

Kirsten shook her head smiling at her mom. "No, no mom we didn't sleep together like that…we just slept in the same bed, when I woke up though he had his arms around me something he did subconsciously while he was sleeping I'm sure."

"I bet…" Her mother said in an unconvinced tone making her way over to the refrigerator and retrieving select ingredients for whatever she was cooking up for dinner.

The moment Kirsten heard her mother's tone she couldn't help but shake her head as he lifted her glass and finished off her ice tea. "Anyways, after that he kind of started stalking me, it was a game to see if I noticed which I did. And after a call to campus security and him being questioned and detained its safe to say that little game ended. But, I felt bad for the whole thing and getting him detained and whatever so I made it up to him with a second date so to speak. We went down to the beach, watched the sunset, talked and it was so…I can't really explain it." Her blue eyes slowly moved up to see what her mother was doing. "Do you want some help?"

"Well that does sound quite nice, and um.." Rose glanced down at her pans that were sizzling with life and then around the rest of the kitchen knowing there was one thing Kirsten couldn't possibly mess up. "Sure sweetheart do you want to get the salad tossed and ready?"

Pushing herself out of the high bar stool against the island Kirsten strode over the fridge pulling it open and retrieving all the ingredients she would need for the salad. "Yeah it was, but it was more than that. I don't know." She said softly glancing down as she set the load from her arms down onto the counter walking over to the sink and lathering her hands with soap and then rinsing off all the suds before she went any further with the preparation of the salad.

Rose stole a quick glance at Kirsten nodding her head at her daughters clear uncertainty about this relationship she was forging. "Have you seen him since that night?"

Kirsten barely even looked up to acknowledge her mothers question. "Yes." For some reason their latest encounter was still so fresh that Kirsten felt the need to keep it to herself like that would make it more special or something. She began to pull the leaves of lettuce from the head and ran them under the cool water streaming out of the faucet before depositing them into the large serving bowl.

Rose almost didn't hear Kirsten's response as she turned to her sizzling pans flipping one of the chicken breasts that were in the pan. "When?" She asked turning away from her pan to glance at Kirsten who was still plucking leaves of lettuce from the head.

"Yesterday.." Kirsten said softly dropping the last leave of lettuce from the head into the bowl and grabbing the container of cherry tomatoes and sprinkling several onto the lettuce.

"Well what happened? Did he tell you he never wants to see you again? Did something go too far or what?"

"What? No, mom it was nothing like that. He just surprised me with a date, mini golf, dinner it was nothing I've ever experienced before it was just him showing me who he is."

"You're falling for him."

"What? No. Its way to premature for any of that." Kirsten said as she began to toss curtons into the salad bowl sprinkling shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese over the salad. Even though she tried to convince her mother that she wasn't falling for Sandy, Kirsten knew that deep down she was, how couldn't she? A smile slowly slid across her lips as she grabbed the salad tongs and tossed the salad around a little bit before taking the bowl and setting it in the middle of the kitchen table. Kirsten then began to set the rest of the table setting a place for her father which remained vacant for the entire night. Seeing this first hand caused Kirsten to frown at the empty seat, willing her father to walk through the door at any moment only realizing that it was a lost cause. He would've been there if he wanted to be, so clearly things pertaining to his business were more important than his own family, than dinner with his daughter who has been away at college for the past five months.

By the time Hailey disappeared upstairs Caleb still wasn't home. Once Rose, and Kirsten were done with all the clean up he still had not made an appearance. A bottle of wine and half a bottle of vodka later, and Caleb still wasn't home. Kirsten was the one who had to assist Rose up the stairs and to her room, she even had to help her change into her pajama's. Hearing her mother claim that she didn't need help that she could do it on her own caused Kirsten's heart to break, because she knew that Rose had been managing solo for the last five months. Sighing Kirsten ignored her mother's whims and continued to help her change out of her clothes and into her pajama's, tucking her into bed once she was changed. Kirsten tucked a strand of Rose's dull blonde locks behind her ear and leaned down pressing a kiss to her forehead. Before she left the room Kirsten left a glass of water and two Advil capsules on her mother's night stand, knowing she'd appreciate those things in the morning.

After her mother was securely in bed Kirsten glanced around the house softly closing the door to her parents bedroom. Her blue eyes bounced against the walls covered with expensive art work and feeling the eerie silence engulf the entire house, checking her watch just now realizing that it was 1:38 AM and her father still wasn't home yet. What on earth could he possibly be doing out so late? Kirsten shook her head and wrapped her arms around her midsection hurrying down the hallway to her bedroom. It didn't take her long to strip the clothes from her frame and exchange them for silk a nightgown that she had left her when she went to Berkeley. As she felt the fabric she knew that this would be coming back with her, it was so comfortable, she knew why it got left behind in the first place. No one special would see it, so why would it matter? In this moment, when she realized she wanted to take this nightgown back to Berkeley the why plagued her and she knew instantly that it was because she thought Sandy was someone special who might appreciate this article of clothing, or maybe not. She needed a drink. Slowly she approached her vanity her hand pulling open the middle drawer hesitating mid-air before diving in and taking out the desired item.

**Thanksgiving: The Nichol Manor**

Of course it was Thanksgiving her father was locked away in his office and her mother was slaving away in the kitchen with Kirsten's grandmother already a bottle of wine in. Kirsten was surprised that the two were still working so well with one another usually at this point in time they would really start bitching at one another. Usually one of them is doing something wrong, not peeling the potatoes right, not basting the turkey right there was always something those two were arguing about. Hailey was sprawled out on the living room floor coloring when Kirsten glanced over at her wishing life could be that easy for herself. That was when it struck her, Sandy made things feel easy, he eased her mind when she was in his company and even when they were bickering she realized that he made her happier than she'd ever been. Rose Nichol looked up from her task at hand noticing that Hailey was inevitably wrinkling her holiday dress.

"Hailey please get off the floor, your going to wrinkle your dress."

At this Hailey scoffed mumbling under her breath as she pushed herself off the floor and gathered up her crayons and coloring book. Hailey took a seat next to Kirsten at the table in the kitchen glancing up at her older sister admiring her beauty for a second before going back to her coloring. Kirsten's blue eyes slowly made their way to the picture Hailey was coloring and it caused her to smile slightly, pushing herself out of the chair Kirsten turned on her heel. Her eyes meet her grandmother and mother working away on the food for Thanksgiving dinner, Kirsten exhaled leaning against the island.

"Do you need any help with anything?"

Rose trailed her eyes up to her eldest daughter and smiled softly as she thought about it.

"Can you please set the dinning room table. Use the orange candles and make sure the center pieces are evenly spread out and soup spoons on the on the right with the cloth napkins on the left…"

As Rose trailed on Kirsten caught her grandmother roll her eyes. None of her grandparents had grown up in this world, so they never entirely understand the desperate need to uphold appearances. They didn't understand why as a family even if there were issues, that these issues were brushed under the rug for the time being so that the family appeared functional as well as happy. Kirsten had learnt that her family was experts at putting on a show and playing the roles of the perfect family, however she had to admit it was draining keeping up that persona.

"Okay mom…if I have any questions I'll ask you."

Kirsten began to make her way out of the kitchen when her mother's voice stopped her.

"Oh, make sure you set places for the Cooper family."

Upon hearing Rose's latest statement Kirsten spun on her heel, she thought she'd be able to completely avoid Jimmy over the holiday weekend clearly her parents had other plans.

"What? Why are the Coopers coming? This is a family holiday…they're not family!"

Rose seemed slightly taken back by Kirsten's sudden outburst however she never faltered staying completely calm taking a long sip from her glass of red wine before responding.

"Well you and Jimmy-"

Before she could continue on with her statement Kirsten butted in needing to inform her mother that she and Jimmy were over for good.

"Are done…over. Not getting back together, ever. As much as dad tries to force me to be with him, its not going to happen!"

At Kirsten's revelation her grandmother shook her head a little bit. "I completely agree with the girl…you can't choose who she loves, who she marries, it's not up to you to decide those kinds of things for her. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Hearing her grandmother defend her caused Kirsten to smile and nod her head taking notice of her mother who was hanging her head. Eventually she looked up and blue eyes meet blue eyes as Rose wiped her hands on her apron Rose made her way around the island counter and stood in front of Kirsten placing a hand on either one of her shoulders.

"It wasn't my idea…your father insisted we invite the Coopers. I'm sorry Kirsten. I know this is uncomfortable and awkward but please be polite for me."

Kirsten knew that it would never be her mothers idea to invite the Coopers her father would always be to blame for an invitation like that. As blue eyes locked again Kirsten shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, she knew that her mother was hiding under an amour of liquor constantly to survive living with Caleb so Kirsten figured she could do this tiny thing for her mom.

"I know, it's okay…and I know it's not your fault mom. As far as me being polite, I'll do my best."

Once she finished her statement Rose brushed a kiss to her daughters cheek before Kirsten turned on her heel walking into the dinning room. She busied herself around the dinning room, putting on the correct table cloth, smoothing it out then beginning to set it properly, using the orange candles as her mother instructed. Then she evenly spaced the three center pieces in the center of the long table and next she placed the China plates at each spot, before tenting the cloth napkins to the left of the plate, and finally distributed the correct silverware at each place setting. At the sound of the doorbell echoing throughout the mansion Kirsten groaned and Rose entered the dinning room her eyes taking in the table.

"Nice work Kiks…come greet the Coopers with me?"

Kirsten tensed at the nickname didn't her mom know she hated it? Hearing her mom ask her to greet the Coppers with her caused her to shake her head.

"No…Thanks. I should actually go-"

Rose butted in at this point, knowing that Kirsten was looking for an exit and she couldn't blame her for that however she did promise that she'd try her best.

"Kirsten you look fine"

When she heard her mothers comment Kirsten shook her head and shot her mother a death glare saying in a hard tone.

"Change for dinner."

After Kirsten brushed past Rose making her way up the grand staircase, Rose called out to Caleb as she made her way to the door.

"Cal…the Coopers are here!"

She pulled open the door and was greeted warmly by Karen and Michael Cooper, Jimmy standing off to the side peering into the house in search of Kirsten. After cheek grazing kisses and warm embraces the Coopers entered the mansion and Rose accepted all of their coats putting them away individually into the closet. Just then Caleb emerged from his study pressing a hand against his wife's back to announce his presence while pressing a kiss to her cheek, before shaking hands with Michael and giving Karen a kiss on the cheek. The guys disappeared into the living room making conversation as Caleb turned on the TV waiting for the football game to start. Rose and Karen made their way into the kitchen engaging in conversation about their fellow friends. Meanwhile Kirsten was locked away in the sanctuary of her bedroom pulling open the middle drawer on her vanity her hand reaching into the drawer removing her favorite liquid medicine. Her blue eyes admired the sparkling glass for a second before untwisting the cap and taking a long swing right from the bottle. The harsh liquor not being masked with a mixer or chaser burned her throat, if only for a second. However Kirsten reveled in the feeling, tasting the straight liquor numbed her throat and warmed her body as it made it's way down to her stomach.

Kirsten disappeared into her walk-in closet and began to try and figure out what she wanted to wear for the Thanksgiving dinner. When she left for Berkeley all of her outrageously expensive clothes had been left and still hung in her closet. Tugging a dress away from the others Kirsten took another sip from the bottle she was still holding securely in her other hand. After swallowing the liquor Kirsten moved along in her closet leaving the former dress in its spot pulling another dress into view biting down on her lower lip as she pulled it from the rest. She held it up in front of herself scrutinizing it while taking another sip from the bottle she was clutching in her right hand. Once she made her way out of her closet Kirsten tossed the dress disgustedly onto her bed taking another long sip from the bottle. Setting the half full bottle of vodka onto her night stand Kirsten stripped her sweater and her jeans from her frame standing in front of her full length mirror letting her eyes roam over particular parts on her body which she thought were flawed. Kirsten hated being one of those girls constantly obsessing about their weight but it was hard not to be one of those girls living in this bubble. It was so unhealthy and Kirsten was very aware of this fact it caused her to sigh heavily before reaching for the bottle of vodka taking another long sip before setting it back down and picking up the dress.

The dress wasn't Newport at all it was a little more casual than maybe her mother would've liked but Kirsten made it look classy and elegant. It was a red short sleeve dress with a conservative neckline that showed minimal cleavage and flowed gracefully over her hips cutting off two inches above her knees. After slipping easily into the dress Kirsten studied her reflection in the full length mirror ruffling her blonde hair a little bit before reaching for the bottle of vodka. She tipped the bottle back unloading maybe a little too much vodka from the bottle onto an empty stomach but at this point Kirsten wasn't really thinking. With a hold on the bottle still Kirsten headed over to her vanity taking a seat in front of the mirror that was there and ran a hand under her eye before setting the bottle down on to the table. Kirsten began to apply some makeup, and instead of keeping it natural like she usually did she decided to piss her father off by applying heavy dark makeup. Once she was finished she smirked slightly at her reflection even with the rock n' roll edge makeup she still felt like she looked good. She clasped on her gold bracelet and then slid her long gold heart pendent necklace over her head. Giving her reflection one more look Kirsten grabbed the bottle and took one last swing before capping it up and placing it back into the middle drawer on her vanity. A knock on her door caused her to groan before she took notice of the lack of shoes.

"Shoes…damnit!…I'll be right down"

Kirsten hurried into her walk in closet stepping into the perfect pair of Jimmy Coos before she heard her door handle rattle as someone attempted to get in.

"Kirsten…whys the door locked? Its just me!"

At the sound of the voice on the other side of the door Kirsten's shoulders slumped and she knew she needed another swig before going downstairs and suffering through this Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of responding to Jimmy Kirsten hurried to her vanity pulling open the middle drawer and uncapping the bottle of vodka taking a hefty swig before capping it up quickly and hiding it away once again. Pulling open the door Kirsten flashed Jimmy a fake smile and dodged his hug heading down the hall towards the staircase.

"Kirsten! Jimmy! It's time for dinner."

Kirsten internally thanked her mother for her timing in that moment she couldn't have picked a better time to summon them for dinner. She glanced over her shoulder at Jimmy and raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, what are you waiting for? It's time for dinner!"

Jimmy shook his head trying to ward off the feelings that began to stir once he saw Kirsten again. Sure he had hooked up with a couple girls while away at college but he was still completely in love with Kirsten and those other girls didn't mean a thing to him.

"Right. Coming."

He had said in a soft voice, words that didn't even penetrate the alcohol haze Kirsten was under as she descended the grand staircase turning practically everyone's heads in the process. Knowing just how to play the role of the perfect daughter Kirsten plastered on a fake smile that everyone reacted to in their own way. In the back of her mind, Kirsten couldn't help but think of how Sandy would've picked up on how forced the current smile she was wearing was, he'd be the only one to notice for that matter.

"Kiki you look marvelous darling!"

The moment her father commented on her appearance and grazed her cheek with a cold kiss Kirsten rolled her eyes forcing a smile as she brushed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Thanks."

"Come on lets eat."

It was so irritating to Kirsten that whenever her dad spoke people just seemed inclined to listen to him, herself included. Everyone began to file into the dining room taking their respective seats Caleb urging Jimmy to sit next to Kirsten.

"Dad, Hailey's sitting next to me. The Coopers are seating on the other side of the table, Jimmy can sit across the table from me."

Rolling her eyes at the audacity of her father Kirsten took her place towards the end of the table closest to her mother. Her grandmother was seated at the end of the table closest to Caleb to keep him in line, then Hailey was seated in between Kirsten and their grandmother. Meanwhile the Coopers where seated across the table from them. Karen Cooper was seated in the middle of her husband who was stationed at the end closest to Caleb and her son who was seated across from Kirsten. After everyone was seated Kirsten glanced down her blonde locks falling into her face shielding her eyes from Jimmy the aroma of food causing her stomach to rumble her hand falling over her stomach as she bit down on her lower lip. Hailey used her pointer finger and poked Kirsten's side which caused Kirsten to turn her head irritation written across her facial features.

"What do you need Hails?"

Hailey shot Kirsten an apologetic look which caused Kirsten's irritation to visibly vanish. She hadn't meant to react so harshly, after all it was the holiday season and a time of being thankful.

"Can you get me my glass of water? I can't reach it"

Once she heard Hailey's question Kirsten smiled softly at her younger sister leaning over slightly so she could grab Hailey's water for her. She moved Hailey's glass so that it was in her reach before stealing a glace at her mother who was sipping a large glass of wine. Kirsten could see the vacancy laying behind her mothers eyes and in that moment she knew that her mom was currently wearing a heavy armor of alcohol. It had always scared Kirsten to see her mother this way and the fact that her father didn't notice or didn't seem to care hurt. Food began to circulate around the table as conversations began sparking up every which place, Kirsten scooping some mashed potatoes onto her plate before passing them to her mother. After all the food had made complete circles around the table conversation dwindled and everyone began to eat a comfortable silence lingering over the table until Caleb had to ruin it as he always did.

"Why don't we go around the table and say what we're thankful for?"

Everyone began to nod in agreement to this idea however Kirsten glared at her father since when did thet do this? She knew it was a show for the Coopers, to express how seemingly _perfect_ the Nichols were but being fueled by vodka Kirsten wasn't having it.

"What?…why?"

Caleb shot his eldest daughter a death glare keeping his calm though not wanting to cause a scene in front of their guests.

"Well, because I think it is a good idea Kiki"

"Right and we always do what you say, right dad?"

"Kirsten watch yourself. Why don't you start?"

Shaking her head Kirsten glanced down at her food before shooting her eyes back up and glaring at Caleb.

"Okay, I'll start. I'm thankful for Berkeley because it got me the hell away from you!"

Kirsten said harshly her blue eyes burning holes into her father she didn't care what kind of scene she was making this needed to be said. She was so sick of brushing everything under the rug, diluting their family problems for the sake of the society or whatever.

"Kirsten!"

Rose had scolded before Caleb interjected throwing more fuel to the slowly building fire.

"Berkeley, I'd hardly call that hippy school a suitable education."

"Ugh you are unbelievable! Berkeley is not some hippy school."

"Oh but isn't it?"

Kirsten rolled her eyes she could not believe her father was acting this way in front of their company. Then again this was her father, so it made perfect sense for him to be displaying this kind of distaste in her choice of school. Since not only did she not choose to go to USC but then she broke things off with Jimmy.

"You know what this is supposed to be what we're thankful for…so since you'd rather express your distaste for what I'm thankful for, maybe I should share what you're thankful for dad huh? Well you're thankful for our family right? Cause you have a wife who takes care of everything while you go build your empire or what the hell ever and moms thankful for the vodka cause it helps her get through living with you…"

This time it was her grandmother who scolded Kirsten's harsh words. The Coopers all looked on slightly taken back by Kirsten's behavior. Jimmy wore a concerned expression because he knew that she was fueled by alcohol, he had smelled it on her breath as she brushed past him upstairs earlier.

"Kirsten! That was very uncalled for"

Upon hearing her grandmother's words Kirsten shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"No what's uncalled for is his constant need to put a show on for the community…even if it's at the expense of this family."

At this point Caleb butted in outraged at the way Kirsten was lashing out in front of their guests.

"Kirsten that is enough. Let's all just eat shall we?"

Everyone else continued on eating and Rose sipped her glass of wine downing most of it before announcing that she was getting a refill, asking the rest of the table if they needed anything. If her revelation about Rose's drinking didn't cause her to stop Kirsten internally wondered what would. Kirsten shook her head and pushed herself away from the table.

"No…dad see that's just it, nothing is ever enough for you! I've lost my appetite. Excuse me."

As soon as Jimmy noticed Kirsten pushing herself away from the table he knew this was his moment to be close to her once again, help her calm down. However Kirsten wasn't having it, she took notice of Jimmy getting up as well to more than likely follow her and glared at him.

"Kirsten…"

"Don't follow me Jimmy."

Her harsh words to him semi-surprised him, even in Kirsten's alcohol fueled rage she had never pushed him away. Maybe it was time for him to realize that it was really over for good between them, but Jimmy wasn't ready to let go just yet. Slowly he slouched back down into his chair and an uneasy silence engulfed the dining room.

**The Party: Tayrn's Parents Beach House**

Friday came and that only meant that she'd either have to suffer another boring night trapped in that house or go out and visit some of her old friends. Glancing around Kirsten knew she should've chosen the latter it would've been better than this. She didn't feel as if she fit in here anymore these people didn't know her, and maybe they never did. As she observed the people mingling around she rolled her eyes when she took notice of several hopeful high school girls fawning over several guys Kirsten graduated with. She glanced down at the contents or lack there of in her red plastic cup before downing the little that remained of her drink. Kirsten began to make her way back towards the kitchen, but was stopped in her tracks by Jimmy. Seeing him caused her to shift her eyes down, of course he was here, she should've expected it. He dodged the awkwardness by wrapping his arms around her, only making Kirsten feel suffocated by his embrace her whole body tensing under his arms. When they parted from the hug Jimmy shot her a confused look which Kirsten avoided by glancing away wanting to completely remove herself from this conversation.

"Hey! So, we didn't really get to talk yesterday…you know I really miss you!"

Kirsten shook her head a little bit shrugging her shoulders when he mentioned that he really missed her. If she told a little white lie it wouldn't hurt anyone right?

"Hi, and yeah I know…I was just really tired last night. And, I miss you too."

She had said the last part not very sincerely, it wasn't that she didn't miss him. Of course deep down Kirsten missed Jimmy on some level or another she just didn't want to give him the wrong impression. She didn't want him to believe that she missed him in the same way she knew he missed her. Kirsten wanted an escape from Jimmy she didn't want to have the conversation she was certain would follow this run in. So instead she glanced down at her cup locked eyes with Jimmy then nodded her head towards the kitchen.

"I need a refill…maybe we can catch up later!"

She disappeared into the crowd before Jimmy had a chance to respond let alone follow her. Thankful that she successfully escaped a conversation she knew would only lead them nowhere, Kirsten stepped into the kitchen. Her eyes scanned the possible choices of drug her slender hand wrapping around the neck of a bottle as she made her selection. Kirsten rewarded herself with some harsh liquor untwisting the cap filling her cup more than half full with liquor. The depths of her blue eyes glanced down at the crystal clear substance twirling it around in her cup before slowly lifting it and taking a long swig letting out a satisfied breath after she swallowed the fiery drug. Vodka. It had always been her drug of choice growing up in Newport, it was convincingly innocent but it had this ability to numb her completely from reality. Kirsten took a quick glance around the counter and when she spotted a pitcher of lemonade she grabbed it and poured some into her cup mixing the concoction before taking a sip and letting a smile pull up her lips. Drinking numbed her mind for a while and gave her peace from all the thoughts that seemed to constantly plague her.

Figuring she should engage in some conversation Kirsten began to make her way to strike up a conversation with one of the guys she graduated with when Tayrn bombarded her. Tayrn started going on about her Thursday nights and how she had dedicated them to hooking up with random guys. Kirsten rolled her eyes at Tayrn randomly interjecting comments so that it seemed like she was actually paying attention to the conversation. Pretty soon Kirsten realized that her 'friend' had disappeared into the sea of people which caused her to shake her head and glance down at her cup taking a long drink from it. Swaying a little on her feet as she wove through the crowded beach house, one of Jimmy's long time friends who was going to the University of Brown enveloped his arms around her, "Kiks."

Cringing at the nickname Kirsten returned the embrace wrapping her thin arms around him, "Tim, Hi." They parted from the hug and immediately Kirsten lifted her cup to her lips taking a long drink feeling the liquid start to warm her stomach.

"Hey, How are you? How's Jimmy?"

At the mention of Jimmy she shuffled her feet beneath herself looking up at him questioningly what was Jimmy saying about her, about them? "Um, I'm doing good! Loving Berkeley, and as far as Jimmy goes I haven't talked to him much. We're not together."

"Berkeley? Oh, well that's too bad. You guys were the golden couple."

Kirsten almost choked on her drink when she heard what he said about them being the golden couple. It wasn't that she didn't know that was what people thought of their coupling it was just hearing it come from someone else. The sole reason they were no longer and would never be that couple again was because of Kirsten, and Kirsten alone. "Yeah, well things change. People change." She said softly glancing around willing someone anyone to save her from this awkward conversation. Lifting her cup to her lips Kirsten tipped it back closing her eyes briefly as she swallowed the rest of liquid that the cup still had to offer. Before Tim could get a word in someone slung an arm around Kirsten's shoulders practically shrieking. The culprit happened to be Karen, turning slightly Kirsten wrapped an arm around Karen's waist giving her a half hug, plastering on a fake smile. "Karen Hey!"

Karen smiled lopsidedly staggering slightly on her own two feet needing Kirsten's support. "Kiiiiiirsten! Oh, no your cup is empty, lets go get you a refill" She slurred as she began to practically drag Kirsten off towards the direction of the kitchen which had gotten increasingly busier since the last time Kirsten made a visit there.

As Karen snagged Kirsten's cup from her hand and began to busy herself around the kitchen mixing up a drink for her dear friend. Watching closely at what liquor Karen was using Kirsten shrugged her shoulders at her supposed friend not really caring at this point what concoction Karen would come up with for her. It was her next words that sprung her from her foggy thoughts. "Soooo I'm sorry about you and Jimmy! But now that you guys are over, does that mean he's fair game?"

Kirsten wasn't entirely sure on how she should respond to that question. A dull ache began to spread across her chest and she inhaled sharply trying to ward off these feelings. It shouldn't matter if her friends date him, should it? Jimmy was just her first. First everything, and that accounts for a lot and besides they all knew that, these were the girls she grew up with, her supposed best friends. Karen looked up at Kirsten expectantly holding Kirsten's cup out towards her. Kirsten reached up and retrieved her cup from Karen not bothering to answer her question as she offered a soft thanks and wove into the crowd of people praying for the liquid to help make sense of the feelings currently running through her body. That was when Jimmy came up behind her reading her facial expression and raising an eyebrow. Kirsten shrugged her shoulders shaking her head not wanting to have to explain what Karen had just said cause that would be a dead give away that she was having a hard time understanding the feelings coursing through her body herself. "Come on Kirsten, you can tell me"

The moment those words left his mouth Kirsten had to shift her eyes up to meet his to know for certain that they weren't back in the diner, falling apart. With the knowledge that they were five months past that fateful day and that she withheld information from him, made her realize she couldn't do that to him again. He deserved a least a semi-explanation to her current emotional state, didn't he? The alcohol muddling her thoughts but she thought so, because it caused her tongue to move before she even realized what she was doing. "Oh, just you know how Karen can be. She's always had the hots for you!" Kirsten said laughing softly not entirely sure why she said the last part.

Before she even knew it his lips crashed onto hers, he tasted the same, his thin chapped lips moving against hers caused her to push against his chest making their lips break apart. When he looked into her eyes another pair of dark blue eyes flickered before her. Kirsten felt her heart rate double at the mere sight of those particular eyes, they always seemed to be able to see the real her no matter what act she seemed to hide under. "What the hell was that Jimmy?"

"Just showing Karen that she can never compare to you. What's the big deal Kirsten, its not like it's the first time I've kissed you. Don't act like its such a surprise" Jimmy said in a sort of matter-of-fact tone his eyes heavily glazed over causing Kirsten to wonder if he'd even remember this in the morning. She hoped not, because she knew that she wanted to just forget it ever happened.

"Well it is a surprise Jimmy because we're not dating anymore." Kirsten said shaking her head and glancing down at her cup downing almost the entirety of the concoction maybe too quickly. Jimmy was just about to respond when Kirsten stopped him short. "Don't bother, okay I'm just going to go." She said above the noise shaking her head as she tipped back her cup and finished off her drink. Kirsten handed her empty cup to Jimmy before spinning on her heel and heading towards the door. Weaving through the people Kirsten made sure to keep her head down in order to not be noticed by anyone else. _Almost_ there she thought as the door came into view and that was when Kirsten felt Jimmy's fingers wrap around her arm pulling himself through the crowd and managing to get her to stop from moving forward.

"Kirsten, you can't drive!"

"Who said I was going to?" Kirsten hissed glaring at Jimmy as she ripped her arm away from his grasp.

"Well, you didn't call your parents. So I figured…"

"What? That I'd be stupid enough to drive? Unbelievable. No, okay Jimmy I'm going to walk…I think the fresh air would do me some good anyway." She barely got out between gritted teeth as she twisted around towards the door and pulled it open stepping outside and slamming the door behind herself. At this point Kirsten didn't care if this all made her look immature, or irrational because hell most of the people at that party would probably forgot she stormed out anyways. Were these really the people she wanted to surround herself with? Deep down Kirsten knew the answer to that question was a resounding, bold two letters, N-O. Still though, these were technically her oldest friends the people she grew up with, should she remain cordial or was it just finally time to cut the chord, so to speak. When the fresh air hit her it felt like a thousand pounds, she inhaled deeply trying to keep herself from throwing up, she knew she should've eaten before coming. A couple deep breaths and Kirsten felt alright walking on shaky knees along the beach towards her gated neighborhood where she, no her parents lived. Four miles later the familiar gate came into view and she nodded at the man at the gate who let her in. Kirsten wound herself through the all too familiar neighborhood, and once she reached the top of the hill her eyes stared blankly at her childhood home. Shaking her head Kirsten took the couple steps to the front door quickly pulling open the door. At the sound of the door she heard a rattle in the kitchen, her mother probably trying to hide her steady downfall. However this didn't stop Kirsten from making her way into the kitchen and when she arrived she took notice of the poor job her mother did of concealing her downfall. "I want to go back to Berkeley. Tonight."

**Saturday Afternoon Berkeley**

Of course there had been no flights last night to Berkeley but that just meant a flight on Saturday. Caleb hadn't even come to see Kirsten off, which she really didn't find surprising but it didn't mean it hurt less. She cursed herself of believing he would change, because it only disappointed her when he didn't. The cab ride seemed to be taking an eternity. As soon as the campus came into view Kirsten beamed clutching her purse close to her body. When she arrived at her dormitory Kirsten paid the cabbie for his services and then slid out of the cab pulling her duffle bag across the seat and out of the cab. She hurried into the building searching frantically for her keys in her purse, as she walked up the flights of stairs to her floor. Pulling open the door to her floor with her keys in hand Kirsten practically ran down the hall jamming the key into the hole twisting it and pushing open the door. She stepped into the dorm noticing the lack of Olivia and tossed her duffle bag onto her bed along with her purse. Still clutching her keys Kirsten jammed them into the pocket of her mini skirt and then hurried out of her dorm.

The sun was shining down on her and she knew he wouldn't be expecting to see her today, so it would be her turn to surprise him. That thought alone caused her to smile, she bit down on her lower lip and strode across campus, making the journey across the bridge and down the sidewalk to the guys house, which had become a very familiar path as of late. Once the house came into view Kirsten took a deep breath, taking a step forward and then deciding against it and turning around. She was internally cursing herself for being so nervous, after a few more seconds Kirsten hurried down the path made it up to the porch and knocked lightly against the heavy wooden door. She began to tap her foot absentmindedly as she waited for someone to answer the door, but she was pretty sure Sandy was the only one home. After maybe two excruciating minutes the door creaked open revealing a rather stoned and unkempt Sandy. Kirsten bit down on her lower lip and before she could even say anything his voice rumbled a not so welcoming greeting.

"Kirsten. What are you doing here?"

"Um, well I got back early…so I-um, I thought maybe you could use some company?"

She let her eyes roam over his unkempt appearance his jet black hair was standing up in a couple places and his shirt was quite wrinkled. He was just about to respond when there was a noise from behind him, a voice calling his name, a female voice. The girl came up behind Sandy her words just now audible.

"Sandy, who is it?" Her brown eyes were just as glossy as Sandy's and she looked to be sporting one of his Berkeley sweatshirts as well cause it came down past her butt. As her eyes made contact with Kirsten's it was almost as if a light-bulb flickered on, recognition sprawling across her face. "Oh, Kirsten hey, I'll go."

Kirsten shook her head putting her hand up to protest. "No, no its fine stay, I'll go. I'm sorry I guess I should've called first…" Kirsten trailed on before turning on her heel and making her way down the steps of the porch her heels clicking against the sidewalk downing out Sandy's soft voice calling after her.

TBC…

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><p><strong>AN: **For all of you, who are still out there maybe reading this story I would like to apologize for my lack of updates..I have just been so busy lately. I would write all day everyday if life would allow it, but it doesn't, and I do need some sort of life(; But anyways I'm not too sure if I like the way I ended this, there is an explanation that will be all hashed out…or somewhat hashed out in the next chapter so just stay tuned and remember things aren't always as the appear.(: As always reviews make my life…and have been known to inspire me. And if you have suggestions or ideas or whatever that you'd like to share with me it is all welcome I love to hear your input. I hope there still some of you out there reading this...and enjoying it!( :


	7. Better Than Revenge

**A/N: **Oh my goodness I wrote this chapter in like two days, and its because I felt extremely touched and inspired by sunluverr's and Addie9's reviews you guys are the greatest and I love ya for being so loyal and kind to me. Your reviews and words of appreciation honestly mean the world to me I don't know what other way to put it(: and I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record about that but its true, and I just want you guys to know I appreciate it so very much! Okayyy so fyi; this chapter is not as long as the last few chapters but that's because I had to end it here because I already have an idea with how I want the next chapter to work out so I had to end it in this way. As always if there are any similarities between any other Kandy stories it is completely **unintended. **Ah, soooo I put off writing my last fictional piece to write this, so I hope you guys enjoy it!(:

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><p>I decided to switch things up…so instead of dialogue this time its lyrical inspiration.<p>

Song: Better Than Revenge- Taylor Swift

"There is nothing I do better than revenge, ha

And do you still feel like you know what you're doing?

'Cause I don't think you do, oh"

It might not be an entirely random choice but the whole first line here really struck a chord with me and kind of inspired the structure/events of this chapter in a way. Oh well, either way it's a great song. Anyways on with it…

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><p>Chapter 7: Better Than Revenge<p>

Kirsten slams her door to her dorm shrieking before starting to pull at her blonde hair, as if that would help rationalize what had just happened. She began to gnaw at the side of her cheek circling the small area before making a beeline for her closet. Shoes, clothes, and hair products rained down landing haphazardly around the room. Once she found her bottle of vodka Kirsten smiled untwisting the cap, her eyes darting about her room it was only five o'clock it probably wouldn't be a smart idea to drink straight. Finding her desired juice Kirsten swiped a plastic cup from Olivia's stash on her desk and began mixing the drink. After several drinks the music blared throughout the dorm room and Kirsten laid on her bunk staring at the ceiling taking another sip, the liquid slithered down her throat and she smiled lazily at the effects she was having. Her head felt heavy and her eyelids could hardly manage to stay open she swore there was a light knocking at her door before the alcohol took over her consciousness. Sunlight spilled from the window setting the room into light a sharp slamming of the door caused Kirsten to spring up in her bed, instantly regretting it. Moving a hand to her head she rubbed her wrinkled forehead letting her eyes open finally. Once the fuzziness from sleeping wore off she glanced over her shoulder to see what the noise was.

"Rough night?" Olivia questioned as she shifted her eyes around their messy dorm room.

Kirsten shrugged her shoulders nodding her head in a feeble attempt to answer her question. Later that afternoon Kirsten was in a pair of workout shorts and a baggy t-shirt working on school work with Olivia when a knock on their door interrupted them. Still nursing a hangover Kirsten glanced over to Olivia who laughed and got up to answer the door. Kirsten shifted her eyes down to her book not being able to overhear the exchange between the person at the door and Olivia. "Yeah, shes here. HEY, Kirsten its for you."

Kirsten groans half expecting to see Sandy on the other side of the door, however when she reaches the door her jaw drops slightly, the girl from the other day standing there. Kirsten rolls her eyes a little bit, twining her arms around her midsection. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Kirsten. And I-Um, I came here to talk to you, about yesterday." She said sincerely.

Upon hearing this Kirsten shakes her head leaning against the doorway for support. "Its okay really, no explanation needed. Although I do find it weird how you know my name and I still don't know yours." She said as she raised an eyebrow at the brunette.

"Actually an explanation is needed, when you came over yesterday, its-its not what you think. And sorry I'm Sara."

"Is that what Sandy told you to tell me? That its not what I think? Well you know what it doesn't really matter because he and I aren't even a couple so whatever." Kirsten said with a shrug of her shoulders not wanting this girl to know just how hurt she had been yesterday.

"Sandy doesn't know I'm here." Sara said shaking her head a little bit.

"So, then why are you here?"

"Like I said, to explain."

Kirsten bit down on her lower lip not really wanting to hear this girl recount her time with Sandy and what exactly Kirsten interrupted. With a glance over her shoulder Kirsten pulled the door closed behind herself stepping into the hallway by Sara. "Fine, you've got ten minutes." Her stomach twisted itself into knots rolling and tangling into one gigantic knot.

With a nod of her head Sara glanced at Kirsten before she began. "Has Sandy told you about his ex?"

Upon hearing this Kirsten tightened her grip on her midsection shrugging her shoulders. "Just that they were engaged and that she up and left one day without so much as a goodbye."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. That would be Rebecca Bloom…she was my best friend. So I know what Sandy's going through. Yesterday, had been about a year since she disappeared, well since either one of us saw her so we were just comforting one another…but honestly all he talked about was you."

Kirsten's head sprang up when she heard Sara tell her that all Sandy was babbling about when she hung out was her. It semi-surprised her but then again it didn't because of how much time she had spent talking about him and thinking about him when she went back to Newport. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't think I've seen him this happy in possibly ever, and I think everything happens for a reason." Sara said with a little bit of a smile.

Having heard what Sara revealed caused Kirsten to gnaw on the inside of her cheek it sounded as if Sara's feelings for Sandy may be deeper than she lead on.

"You make him happy Kirsten. He's nervous though, scared to let his guard down because of what Rebecca put him through and please don't tell him I told you any of this…but after you left yesterday he seemed really distraught over it."

"What are you saying Sara?"

"That nothing happened yesterday between him and I and it never has and never will happen…just no. But Sandy is a great guy and I think that you should really talk to him."

Kirsten nodded a little bit licking her lips before tucking an errant strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Well, thanks for the insight. But if he really wanted to try and make things work with me, he would be here explaining things, wouldn't he?" The two shared a knowing look and before Sara could begin to defend Sandy's actions Kirsten shook her head. "See you around Sara" She said as she twisted the handle of her door and stepped back into her dorm room.

Once she was fully into the room Kirsten shut the door behind herself leaning back against the heavy wooden door. Olivia looked up from her textbook expectantly. "What was that about?"

Raising her blue eyes to meet Olivia's green ones Kirsten shrugged her shoulders a little bit. "Nothing. Hey Liv, do you know anything about a Rebecca Bloom?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow not entirely believing that it was nothing just based off of Kirsten's slumped shoulders. Hearing the name caused her to bit down on her lower lip deep in thought. "I'm not sure that I do. Why?"

"No reason."

"I could ask Paul for you?"

Taking a seat next to Olivia on the futon Kirsten shook her head at the suggestion to asking Paul. "Oh, no no it's okay. Nevermind." The girls continued on with their homework quizzing each other on certain topics and then finally when they had enough studying they both decided that maybe a trip to the boys house was in order. Kirsten still hadn't revealed to Olivia all the things that had transpired between her and Sandy it was all so confusing that she didn't want to bombard Olivia with it as well. The fresh air felt cool against her skin but was comforting in a way. As they approached the house Kirsten felt her stomach drop to her feet. She didn't even know what to say to Sandy, she was pretty sure that he called after her yesterday but she ignored him and maybe he even came after her cause last night before she passed out she thought she heard a faint knock. Or maybe it was a figment of her imagination. Damnit she internally thought, she should've stayed back at the dorm. Whose to say Sandy would even want to see her, shaking the thoughts Kirsten follows behind Olivia up the porch she hears her friend knock several times against the wood and slips up to her left while they wait for someone to come to the door. Paul swings open the door a wide smile plastered across his features at the sight of his girlfriend. Kirsten averts her eyes from the intimate exchange and once they part Paul address her. "Hey Kirsten, here to see the Sandman?"

Kirsten shrugs her shoulders and gives a small smile. "Yeah, is he in his room?"

Paul shakes his head and glances over his shoulder hollering. "Sandman, you've got company."

After hearing Paul yell Kirsten watched as Sandy staggered out of the dimly lit living room his hair messy and still sporting the same clothes Kirsten saw him wearing yesterday. He nodded towards Olivia regarding both of them. "Olivia, Kirsten…Hello." Paul and Olivia sensed the unspoken tension that was hanging in the room and dismissed themselves.

"Yeah well we're going leave you two alone." Paul said clasping Olivia's hand in his and leading her deeper into the house.

"What are you doing here?" Sandy ventured his eyes lazily trailing over Kirsten's appearance. Simple blue jeans and a concert t-shirt.

"Well that doesn't sound anymore inviting the second time." She shot at him in a playful tone not stepping into the house.

Shaking his head Sandy stepped out onto the porch by Kirsten closing the door behind himself. He walked over toward the side of the porch sitting on the wooden beam crossing his arms over his chest and looking up at the velvet sky.

"Tell me about Rebecca."

"Excuse me?"

"Rebecca Bloom. Your ex. Come on, Sandy...just talk to me."

"Why? You wouldn't get it?"

"Try me." Kirsten said softly sitting down on one of the wicker chairs that were placed on the porch.

"Kirsten this is pointless." Sandy said exasperated.

"What is, talking about it? Or us?" Kirsten asked looking up at him her eyes taking in his side profile.

"See that's just it, there is no us Kirsten! Are you delusional? It'll never work out, we're too different."

"Oh. Okay, so what? Rebecca and you were so similar that it's like you're the same person? Well she's gone Sandy, she left."

Sandy knew that Kirsten was partial right even though she didn't know Rebecca, things with Rebecca were always rather easy. They agreed on almost everything so they never disagreed on much. He looked down at his worn out jeans and his wrinkled grey t-shirt avoiding Kirsten's eyes as he thought maybe she was right, maybe things had been too easy with himself and Rebecca. Shaking the thought from his head he glanced up at her and shrugged his shoulders. "Things were easy with her. Yes. And yes we were very similar, we didn't disagree on much…but she understood me in ways I didn't think were possible and I thought I was going to marry her. Then one day she just left. Clearly I didn't mean as much to her."

Kirsten glanced down at her jeans rubbing her palms against the material as she listened intently to the words he was saying. She nodded her head in understanding before looking up and meeting his eyes with her own. "I'm sorry she made you feel that way."

"Me too."

A silence hung between them as the two became lost in their own thoughts. Kirsten knew she had feelings for him but maybe her mother was right, maybe she needed to play the field a little get some more experience under her belt. Or maybe she didn't maybe Sandy really wanted to be with her but was afraid to voice it, afraid to open himself up to get hurt again. Her eyes stole a quick glance at him seeing his messy black hair matted down in the back as he leaned against the house, it made her smile slightly. Sandy bit down on his lower lip lost in thought, Kirsten beautiful by all respects, classic and probably the best thing a struggling Jewish guy from the Bronx could ever hope to score even a date. And the fact that she seems to have feelings that run deeper than just friends for Sandy genuinely seems to baffle him. But for some reason he can't seem to get past the entire Rebecca situation. Shaking her head Kirsten began to get unnerved by the silence at this point. It was as if he read her mind, she heard his voice rumble from next to her and it caused her to twist her body toward him and lift her eyes to his.

"I guess it's me. And just so you know nothing happened yesterday between me and Sara."

Kirsten nodded her head but didn't offer any words about her visit from Sara. Her throat felt dry she wanted to figure out what they were, she wanted him to want her, be with her, but then again she thought maybe she needed a little more experience. What if they furthered their relationship and she only disappointed him with her performance? Kirsten's self esteem wouldn't be able to handle it.

"I guess we should just stay friends." He said softly not meeting her eyes as he let his fall to the wood that was beneath her feet.

"Oh." Kirsten whispered shaking her head as she pushed herself up from the wicker chair pulling down her concert tee.

"I mean, we're pretty different, and I've still got some issues to work out, plus you're only in your first semester and still pretty inexperienced." Sandy said honestly, not intending to hurt or insult Kirsten but merely stating facts. He knew that she had only been with one other guy before coming to Berkeley and having spent the amount of time that he had with her he felt that he had a pretty good handle on how much experience she had. Sandy knew that Kirsten wasn't the type of girl to sleep around well at least that was the impression he received from her.

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, you're right. Friends." Kirsten barely got out making sure to avoid his eyes at all costs as she brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear and headed down the porch steps and quickly made her way back to her dorm not even bothering to look back.

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><p>The week had gone by uneventful Kirsten throwing herself into her studies completely avoiding any discussion about Sandy and their friendship or anything going on at the guys house. In typical Saturday night fashion Olivia begged Kirsten to join her for a party that was sure to be <em>out of this world.<em> As if, Kirsten thought to herself shaking her head but maybe enough was enough and she should stop mopping around hoping Sandy would change his mind and have some of her own fun. Finally giving in Kirsten began rummaging through her closet for the perfect outfit. Maybe it wasn't her typical choice of attire but it was what a lot of the guys seemed to like so she went with it. Her lower half dressed in a pair of acid wear jeans, her upper body donning a neon green lace bustier pairing it with her black rocker jacket. She twisted bangles onto her wrists and expertly layered several necklaces around her neck. Giving her reflection another glance over she began to coat her face with even more of a rocker edge winging out black eyeliner before coating her eyelids in a smoky master piece then exaggerated her eyelashes. Olivia walked back into their dorm room her hair fully teased and smelling of hair spray her eyes swiping over Kirsten's appearance. "Damn, what's the occasion Kirsten?"

"Do I look okay, Liv? I know I don't wear this stuff normally…" Kirsten trailed on biting down on her lower lip smoothing out her outfit and smiling slightly as she turned to face Olivia.

"You look fantastic!"

"Are you sure I don't look like I'm wearing a costume?" She questioned Olivia while gesturing towards her outfit.

"Oh, no not at all…but here" Olivia said as she reached behind Kirsten and took off a couple of her necklaces leaving only three strands around her neck, and then grabbed her hand and slid most of the bangles off. Stepping back Olivia observed Kirsten's appearance once again nodding her head before retrieving four rings from her desk and handing them over to Kirsten. "Wear these it'll compliment your outfit and overall look better."

Kirsten offered her best friend a smile before sliding the rings onto select fingers on both hands. "Thanks Liv, you're the best!" Once the rings were stationed on her fingers Kirsten extended her hands in front of herself smiling before wrapping her arms around Olivia giving her a hug. Olivia parted from the hug and spun around to her desk shuffling a couple things around before pulling open one of the drawers and pulling out two shot glasses and a bottle of vodka. Kirsten smiled at them before walking over to her own desk and sliding out the middle drawer and retrieving her own half full bottle of vodka. After multiple shots of vodka and drinks made up for their journey to the boys house the girls rechecked their appearances fussing around with jewelry and shoe choice until they had one another's approval as well as their own. Their heels clicked against the concrete as the girls made their way down the sideway and away from their dormitory. Kirsten internally hoped that Sandy wouldn't be there she had no interest in seeing him after what he had said to her about her lack of experience. What did he know anyways, he was Jewish, and from the Bronx for heavens sake. She shook her head in a feeble attempt to rid her mind of any thoughts of him however the alcohol coursing through her body had plans of its own.

By the time they got to the boys house tons of their fellow classmates bumped against one another enjoying the liquid they were down in their SOLE cups. Kirsten's platinum blonde tresses were wind blown her face slightly flushed from the combination of the walk over and the alcohol she'd already consumed. Many heads literally turned as the two girls made their way into the house captivating most of the attention, fashionably late is always the perfect time to arrive. Allowing a smile to grace her lips Kirsten tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear almost immediately a guy was at her side offer to fetch her a drink. Kirsten nodded and thanked the guy as he hurried off towards the kitchen clearly everyone knew she was now far game. Or maybe this particular guy didn't even know her brief history with Sandy, who knew. Her blue eyes scanned over the kitchen as she inched deeper into the house, she spotted Olivia curled up alongside Paul already nursing a plastic cup.

Kirsten laughs to herself seeing Paul and Olivia together, they're not the most conventional couple but they both appeared to be happy with one another. That was when she saw him standing by the keg talking to some dirty blonde who was clearly throwing herself at him. Spinning away from them Kirsten found her eyes scanning for any reprieve, a bottle of liquor, or a shot anything to cease her jumbled thoughts. Just then the guy from before appeared with a cup extending it to her. "Here you go!" Kirsten allowed him a small smile before lifting the plastic cup to her lips and downing over half of the contents in the first cup. Taking note that the drink he brought her was rather strong, she knew to steer clear of this particular guy tonight he was clearly on a mission. She let him led her into the living room where there seemed to a dance party going on, Kirsten lifted her arms above her head skillfully not spill any of her drink on the floor or herself in the process. It was a Madonna song and Kirsten lip synced along to every word as she swayed to the beat keeping nearly perfect time. Once the song finished Kirsten downed the rest of her drink and pushed herself away from the guy telling him she was getting a refill. Before he could respond she plunged herself into the sea of intoxicated college students rolling her eyes at the cat calls coming from the kitchen and directed at her.

"I need a refill!" Kirsten said loudly as she slammed her cup onto the counter her body pressing against the hard counter top in order to stay out of the way. Jordan one of the other guys who lived in the house moved from the keg and stood on the opposite side of the counter from Kirsten.

"And what would you like beautiful?" Jordan asked with a genuine smile pulling up his chiseled facial features.

"Surprise me" Kirsten practically purred back batting her eyelashes at him in a melodramatic way.

"One surprise drink coming right up!"

Kirsten smirked slightly her eyes taking in Jordan profile he was maybe more her type, if she had a type. Which she wasn't entirely sure she did cause as her mother and Sandy gently put it she only ever dated Jimmy. After downing Jordan's surprise drink Kirsten was feeling the affects of the alcohol it must have been almost all liquor not that she really minded, because she didn't. Pushing herself up onto the counter top Kirsten brushed a hand against his bicep a smile falling over her lips as her eyes trailed up to meet his. He brushed a strand of hair from her face and then leaned closer to her whispering something to her, it caused her to laugh loudly giving him a playful swat on the arm. Sandy had been watching them for a while wondering what the hell she was doing. Just because he said that he thought they should be friends didn't mean he found it okay for his roommates to swoon over her. Turning away from them he snatched the joint from the person sitting to his right and took a long hit as he let the smoke simmer in his lungs until he couldn't hold it in anymore then exhaled. The smoke billowed throughout the kitchen setting it into a cloudy haze.

"Jordan, I can't believe we've never had an actual conversation before."

This caused Jordan to laugh before he recalled the first time they met. "Yeah, I believe the first time we met was after you won a chugging contest against Brad, and because he lost he had to give me a strip tease. Thanks for that by the way."

Hearing his recount of that day caused Kirsten to snicker to herself remembering most of that night crystal clear. "Oh, I'm sure you liked it. Don't lie…" Kirsten said at edge of slurring but still managing to string together concrete sentences that make at least some sense. However, she felt her stomach drop thinking about that night she spent all her time at that party with Sandy they even slept in the same bed that night. Her arms wrapped themselves around her upper body longing for that warmth to encircle her again tonight but knowing it was a distant shot, they were friends nothing more.

"You're right." Jordan said with a roll of his eyes laughing softly as he took a sip of his plastic cup.

Before either of them could say anymore they were bombarded by Sandy who was extending a joint between them. Kirsten shifted her eyes between Sandy's fingers clasping the joint and then his eyes that were heavily glazed over. Jordan was about to shake his head wanting to give Kirsten a really good impression of himself but then he saw her retrieve the offered joint. Sandy didn't pry his fingers off the joint even after Kirsten's wrapped around it so their fingers brushed, stirring feelings within both Kirsten and Sandy that they thought they would be able to avoid. Feelings they both thought they could ignore. By the time Kirsten lifted the joint to her lips the ember had burned out Sandy dug in his pocket pulling out his lighter. Spark. Spark. Flame. Once his lighter caught flame he leaned in his eyes locking briefly with Kirsten's as she inhaled deeply. The smoke infiltrated her lungs and she held it in for as long as she could before blowing it out in classy fashion. Jordan's arm slung around her midsection seeing her do this.

"Ugh that was so hot!" Jordan slurred as she leaned into him, he pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips. Kirsten was semi-surprised by this action but then remembered what the point of all of this was. Experience, so for the time being she would have to forget about the feelings that were coursing through her body for Sandy. Speaking of Sandy he had backed away after Kirsten handed his joint back to him stationed once again in his corner. Crushing the lit ember in the ashtray Sandy watched while Kirsten dangled herself around Jordan giggling, touching, flirting, was she trying to make him jealous? Cause as much as he wouldn't want to admit it, it might possibly be working.

Jordan handed Kirsten another drink which she accepted gratefully. "Oh my god, you are the best! Thank you!" her voice said loudly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a sloppy kiss to his lips.

Seeing the kiss was like torture to Sandy and it shouldn't be. They weren't together, by all rights Kirsten was fair game, it wasn't even like they had dated, and besides Jordan was probably one of the most stand up guys he knew. Kirsten deserved to be happy, he just wondered if the smile on her face was truly genuine or if she was just trying to fuck with his mind. Sandy shook his head stalking over to the sink and getting a glass of water he wanted to sober up. Or maybe the answer was to get more belligerent, that way he could forget all this ever happened. Although forgetting would probably be unlikely.

Jordan was complimenting her and Kirsten merely shook her head glancing down at her acid wear jeans willing her mind to become completely numbed so she wasn't over-thinking everything so much. As she raised her eyes from her jeans they darted around the kitchen instantly spotting Sandy several feet away from them. He seemed upset, and Kirsten internally wondering why he might be upset. She wanted desperately to talk to him, but found herself trapped in Jordan's brown eyes. He began to lean down and Kirsten anticipated it so she leaned in as well Jordan closing the gap. This time the kiss was sweet and gentle with a promise of something more to come. Kirsten felt her heart beat hard against her chest as it began screaming NO. Her mind and the rest of her senses were disagreeing but Kirsten always sided with her heart. After they parted Kirsten rested her forehead against his telling him she had to get back to her dorm. She jumped down off the counter top finding herself wobbly on her own two feet as she began to head towards the door.

"Please at least let me walk you back." Jordan pleaded hoping she would let him.

"Sure." Kirsten nodded walking behind him as he led her towards the side door. She was almost there when someone stopped her. Spinning on her heel Kirsten glared at the culprit shaking her head as she ripped her arm from his grasp.

"Kirsten what are you doing?" Sandy questioned raising an eyebrow at her.

"Just getting some experience" Kirsten shot back in a hard tone her eyes shooting daggers into him.

TBC…

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><p><strong>AN: **Okay okay please don't murder me. Although you didn't after the last chapter even with having some random girl with Sandy so I am pretty confident that you'll be okay with this. At least I hope so. And yes, Kirsten is kinda playing with Sandy but not purposely. And that's because she honestly feels that he doesn't cares who shes with or whatever since they're just friends and nothing more. Yeah right hahaha( : Never fear(I've hired some babysitters haha) they'll find their way to each other…eventually. And like every couple it may take several times for them to make it stick, or make it official haha Okay, you know the drill…reviews make my life, yes I know I sound sad and pathetic but aren't most writers? Hmm, maybe. Anyways I do really appericiate any kind of feedback whether it be good or bad its all welcome. Thanks as always for reading. Stay tuned! Love you guys. Until next time, mauhh(:


	8. Wicked Games

**A/N: **Sorry that I haven't posted the new chapter until now but life has been just crazy and all consuming. I've been stressing over my finals and thank God they are pretty much almost over. So, on that note I figured I'd surprise y'all with an update…and hopefully make your day!(: Addie9 sorry I never responded to your last review I was actually just going to chat with you about it in PM but I never heard back from you, oh well. Haha anyways I hope you're still out there reading this and I also hope school as well as life are treating you alright. Sunluverr, thank you so much for your last review you've always been far too kind to me! Please don't forget any reviews I get are seriously the highlight of my day, I'm pathetic I know…I've come to terms with this(; As always any similarities to other Kandy stories out there is completely **unintended. **Enjoy loves!

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><p>Dialogue Inspiration: Season 3 Episode 13-"The Pot Stirrer"<p>

"I was terrified about fitting in. I spent a month practicing how to say 'dude'."-Sandy

"You still say it kinda-" Seth

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><p>Chapter 8: Wicked Games<p>

The whole walk home Kirsten kept replaying her two encounters with Sandy. The first one when Sandy came to offer them a hit from the joint, and the second when he tried to stop her from leaving. He had some nerve to stand in her way of doing whatever she wanted, as he reminded her they were only friends. Kirsten rolled her eyes, shaking her head, as she shrugged further into her jacket. Jordan broke her out of her internal turmoil and caused Kirsten to shift her eyes up too meet his. He was gorgeous by all respects and probably more so her type than Sandy was, but as she walked alongside of him she realized that even with the alcohol running through her system he wasn't giving her those intense feelings like Sandy did. Damn Sandy. Kirsten internally thought as she cursed herself for once again thinking about him.

As they approached Kirsten's dormitory Jordan turned towards her and leaned into her. Kirsten anticipated his move and leaned up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his. When their lips met she didn't get goose bumps or feel any sort of spark. Her hand grabbed a fistful of his shirt pulling his body closer to herself wanting to get some kind of reaction from this. Slowly the two parted and Jordan smiled down at Kirsten who glanced down at her feet tucking a stray piece of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Wow" Jordan uttered shocked by Kirsten's behavior.

"I had fun tonight!" She said telling a little white lie not wanting to hurt his feelings. She did have a good time and maybe she should give him a chance. But her mind kept screaming that he didn't give her any intense feelings like Sandy did so it wasn't worth pursuing.

"Well, maybe I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Maybe" Kirsten said with a slight smirk leaning up and brushing a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks for walking me back."

"Anytime" Jordan said as he watched her walk into her dormitory before he spun and went back to the house.

Kirsten made her way up to her floor and then unlocked her dorm door before discarding her clothes and throwing them in a heap at the end of her bed by the hamper. After pulling on her pajamas Kirsten slid into her bed and as she laid there staring at the ceiling she realized that no one ever frustrated her more or made her think so much before other than Sandy. The last thing she remembered before she closed her eyes was the sparks and the intensity she felt when Sandy's fingers brushed against hers when he passed her the joint.

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><p>It was finals week at Berkeley and being a first semester freshman Kirsten was beyond stressed, she knew if she didn't make her grades her father would hold that over her head as well, and somehow manage to get her to transfer to USC. That was definitely not what she wanted, it was far from what she wanted actually. So, Kirsten buried herself in her studies and didn't let her mind drift far from the books sprawled across her bed. Eventually once finals were over Kirsten knew it was back home for the holidays, and for winter break. If only Kirsten could find a way to escape spending winter break in Newport.<p>

Internally Kirsten knew that Jordan could possibly save her from spending the entirety of her break in Newport but she also knew that it was a slim possibility. Only one person had the complete control to make her want to come back early from Newport, and the answer to who that was frustrated her. He clearly didn't want anything to happen between them besides a friendship. Maybe Kirsten should just let go of that shred of hope that Sandy would change his mind. She wasn't sure. Shaking her head she fell backwards onto her bed and let her eyelids close. Kirsten was so happy that she was confident on her exams. It was time to party, one or potentially several final Berkeley parties before she returned to the suffocating town of Newport Beach.

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><p>Being a senior with an unopened letter from Berkeley Law Sandy began to make circles around his room his hands clasped securely to the paper in his hands. This letter held the ability to change his entire life, be the deciding factor in where his life goes from here. He had already finished all of his finals and was feeling rather confident about the outcome of them. When he stepped outside of his bedroom he glanced around the house noticing his roommates carrying in several kegs and picking up some of their mess from the week. Paul nodded towards the keg of beer in his arms and then at Sandy.<p>

"Hey Sandman, we could use some help setting up!"

Sandy shifted his eyes around the house and his other roommates before glancing at Paul. "I'm sorry man, I have something to take care of."

He didn't even wait for a response of any sort and scurried out of the house. Sandy began to walk aimlessly down the sidewalk with no destination in mind as his feet slowed down he lifted his head and found himself standing in front of Kirsten's dormitory. Once he got inside he hesitated at her door lifting his fist before turning on his heels heading down the hallway. As a door swung open Sandy turned around and saw her stepping out of her dorm her blonde hair straight and draping over her shoulders, in a pair of ripped jeans and a plain blue long sleeve. Her eyes got wide when she saw him, she broke the eye contact as she made her way towards him.

"Sandy, hey…what-what are you doing here?" She asked confusion evident in her voice as she jammed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

"I, I don't really know…I just- I need a friend right now," Sandy said simply and Kirsten nodded her head in understanding.

"Well, that's what we are so… come on," Kirsten said walking back to her dorm room stepping inside, "What's up?"

Sandy reached into his back-pocket and pulled out the folded letter from Berkeley Law, Kirsten eyed the letter before leading him towards her dorm room. Once they were both inside Kirsten pushed the door closed and glanced up at Sandy. "It's a letter from Berkeley Law,"

"And what does it say?"

"I don't know I haven't opened it yet." Sandy said finally moving his eyes from the crinkled letter in his hands and locking his eyes with Kirsten's.

"Okay. Well, what are you going to do if you don't get in?" Kirsten asked softly, genuinely curious herself to what his plans were if he didn't happen to make it into the program. She sat down on the futon and shifted her eyes up to meet his waiting for him to sit down, cause a hovering Sandy made Kirsten antsy.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, then you can't afford to think negatively" Kirsten said smiling slightly once he finally took a seat next to her. Without hesitation she rested a hand on his forearm her thumb subconsciously stroking up and down against his arm.

"I guess…but I just-nothing has ever been particularly easy for me, and things just don't seem to ever go right for my family. So…why should this work out?"

"Because you work your ass off Sandy, and because you want this more than anybody I know. You want to change the world, and I believe that you can. And I believe that you can get into Berkeley Law."

"But what if I don't?" Sandy asked his eyes falling from hers and landing on her hand that was stoking his forearm and soothing him greatly.

"I'll be here, the good the bad, I'll help you figure it out. That's what friends are for right?" Kirsten asked softly stopping her gentle strokes to place her hand on top of his that kept fidgeting with the letter.

Feeling her hand against his caused this strange feeling to bubble up in Sandy one he tried to pretend didn't exist one he was fighting hard to ignore. With her support and those beautiful blue eyes of hers Sandy found that he couldn't resist any longer and ripped open the back of the letter. Kirsten removed her hand from his and placed it gently on his forearm again, watching his face carefully as his green eyes scanned over the letter. As a smile spread across his lips Kirsten found it contagious and a smile took over her features as well already knowing what the letter said even though she hadn't read it.

"I'm in!" Sandy said loudly. "I'm in! Kirsten, I'm in!" he said again more excitedly as he turned towards her and wrapped his arms around her giving her a tight squeeze.

"Oh my god, Sandy that is so great! I'm so proud of you, I never had a doubt though!" She said smiling widely as she let her arms circle around his middle as she returned the embrace.

"Thanks! And I'm sorry that I interrupted whatever it is you were doing…"

Kirsten cut him off quickly shaking her head. "Oh no, you didn't interrupt anything I was just going to see if there was a washer open, cause I have some laundry to do. No biggie I can do it tomorrow." She said softly with a wave of her hand.

"Oh, okay. Well, then if you're not busy tonight you should definitely come over to the house and celebrate with the rest of us!" He said with a smile adorning his lips.

"Of course, just let me change." Kirsten said softly rubbing her palms against her jeans as a knock ebbed throughout the dorm as she made her way to her closet she glanced over her shoulder. "Sandy can you grab that?"

"Sure," Sandy said as he pushed himself up off of the futon and made his way to the door. Twisting the handle he pulled open the door and when he saw Jordan he couldn't help but smirk slightly at his confused expression.

"Sandy! Hey, what- what are you doing here?" Jordan asked.

"Oh…well-" Before he could even respond Kirsten came up behind Sandy smiling at Jordan.

"Jordan! Hey…Sandy just stopped to invite me to the party tonight" Kirsten said lying for Sandy and not entirely sure why but she just felt the need to protect his ego.

"Oh," Jordan said glancing between them and then narrowing his eyes slightly at Sandy and nodding his head. "Well, are you going to come? Cause I was going to see if you wanted to get dinner before and maybe I could escort you to the party."

Kirsten nodded her head glancing down at her feet before lifting her eyes to meet his. "That's really sweet, but I actually have some laundry to do before the party. We can meet up there."

"Okay, sounds good. See you later."

"Bye." Kirsten said smiling glancing to her left to see Sandy. Her blue eyes shifted towards Jordan's back and then back at Sandy as she attempted to tell him without words that he should probably leave as well.

"Okay, well I'm glad that you've decided to come. I'll see you later," Sandy said softly and once he stepped out of the room he spun back around to face her and whispered so that Jordan wouldn't hear him. "and thanks again Kirsten."

Instead of even answering his question with words Kirsten smiled and nodded her head mouthing the word "anytime" without even knowing that she did. She closed the door and leaned back against it, this party was going to be interesting that was for sure. As she leaned back against the door she exhaled glancing up at the ceiling before pushing away from the door. Five minutes later Olivia walked into their dorm with an amused look on her face.

"So, why did I run into both Jordan and Sandy on my way up here?"

Kirsten glanced over her shoulder at her roommate from her closet and shrugged her shoulders a little bit. "Cause they stopped by…" She said vaguely turning back to study her closet and pulling out a navy blue dress and holding it up against her body.

"Together?" Olivia pressed.

"No. Sandy stopped by first to talk to me about something, and then Jordan showed up while Sandy was still here."

"Ah…so are you and Sandy still in the friend zone?" Olivia asked dropping her back pack to the floor by her desk looking up at Kirsten.

"I guess. So, I should be going after Jordan...right? I mean he's clearly interested…it's just-I don't feel anything for him." She revealed tangling a hand through her blonde tresses as she set the navy dress down on her bed heading back towards her closet.

"Have you tried to feel anything for him?"

"Sort of…I guess maybe, I haven't really given it a chance because of Sandy, and well with finals I haven't really had time."

"Well maybe you should give it a shot, especially if all Sandy wants is to be friends." Olivia said as she walked over to her closet and began to take some of her clothes out of it and fold them. After this weekend they only had until Wednesday and they would be heading back to their respective homes for the Christmas break. Olivia planned on coming back early though cause her and Paul were going to spend time together, and there was this huge New Years party that the guys were throwing. Kirsten nodded her head at Olivia's suggestion and bit down on her lower lip pulling out another dress from her closet.

"Yeah maybe I will, try. Tonight." She said smiling slightly as she held a scarlet sundress up to her body. It was absolutely perfect. Spaghetti straps, corseted upper half and a flowly skirt that floated over her hips and cut off four inches above her knees. Kirsten paired the dress with a pair of black high heels making sure that the outfit came together in a complete way. She smiled a little bit running a brush through her blonde hair. Several hours later the girls were already dressed for the party they began to pre-game taking shots and making drinks. Eventually when they were both satisfied with their highs from the alcohol they grabbed their jackets and headed to the boys house.

Ten minutes later the girls arrived at the boys house that was crawling with a wide variety of students everyone cradling red cups and the music was blaring. Kirsten was rather surprised that with all the parties the guys threw they had never gotten busted. Paul saw them instantly and swept Olivia away Kirsten just rolled her eyes a little bit and found herself wanting to go find Sandy. However, Jordan found her before she even had the chance. He embraced her and Kirsten could tell from their brief embrace that he had been smoking she shook her head a little bit and as they parted from the hug she checked his eyes. Sure enough they were bloodshot and she smirked a little knowing he was probably hanging out with Sandy.

Kirsten diverted her eyes from his and reached for his red cup downing the rest of the contents in the cup surprised by the harshness of the liquid. "What the hell are you drinking?" She asked shocked as she wiped her mouth off and handed him his now empty cup.

"Just a little captain and coke"

"Try, a lot of captain and no coke," Kirsten said playfully. Dark rum was definitely not her type of liquor. A clear rum, okay, but she was more of a vodka girl.

"You love it!"

"Pfttt you wish," Kirsten said playfully.

"Well, then come on lets get you a drink you actually like," Jordan suggested nodding his head towards the crowded kitchen.

Kirsten bit down on her lower lip eyeing the kitchen before shrugging her shoulders. "I suppose." The two shared a laugh and made their way towards the kitchen where Jordan got her a red cup and handed it over. Her eyes moved around the bottles that were lining the counter top, she sucked on her bottom lip before taking the bottle of vodka and uncapping it. After pouring nearly half a cup of vodka Kirsten's eyes darted around for something to mix it with. When she found a can of sprite Kirsten popped the top and poured half of it into her cup. Swirling the liquid together Kirsten lifted the cup to her lips and let out a satisfied smile happy with her mixture. Looking up she realized that Jordan had been watching her the entire time, she blushed softly under his gaze. Maybe she should really attempt to feel something more than friendship with Jordan he seemed like a good enough guy.

Sandy was sitting over by the keg mingling with one of his classmates when he saw her. She looked absolutely radiant in her red dress that climbed up from her knees and hugged her slender frame showcasing her best assets. What was his deal? Why was he thinking thoughts like this about her? He had been the one who told her that they should say friends, however it seemed that every time he saw her now his attraction towards her grew more and more. Seeing her converse with Jordan made his blood boil he knew the perfect way to capture her attention. Making his way over towards them he smiled and yelled above the noise consuming the kitchen. "Kirsten!"

When she heard her name from that familiar voice, she turned around and smiled widely at the culprit. "Sandy!" They both exchanged smiles before Sandy wrapped his arms around Kirsten's waist lifting her off her feet and spinning her around briefly.

Kirsten giggled loudly and clung onto Sandy tightly afraid that he might drop her or cause her to spill her drink. While he spun her around it only intensified the high she was feeling from the alcohol in her blood stream and the small dinner she ate. Once he finally put her down their bodies were close and an intensity filled the little air that was keeping them apart. A smirk feel onto her lips as she took a sip of her drink happy that she managed to not spill any of it. Sandy's arms were still resting on her hips as she took a sip her other hand placed lightly against his chest. Both of them actually forgot that Jordan was still standing there, Sandy smiled at her and snagged her hand. "Come on, let's dance!"

When she heard Sandy suggest that they dance she found herself nodding her head and clasping his hand leading him towards the living room where the music was coming from. Lifting her hand that was cradling her cup above her head Kirsten smirked knowing that her hips were swaying naturally with every step she took. Meanwhile Jordan was watching this whole exchange between the two, and it irritated him how much of a hold Sandy seemed to have on Kirsten, he didn't understand it at all. Sandy Cohen had his chance and either didn't want to pursue it or Kirsten had turned him down. But from the looks of it these two just didn't know what they wanted, or maybe they were both too stubborn to let their guards down and give in.

Sandy pulled Kirsten in close to himself as they reached the living room, murmuring the lyrics to the current song as they danced together. Slinging her arms around his neck loosely Kirsten let her hips move in time to the music bringing the red cup to her lips and taking several sips before placing her arm back in it's former place. "Nice play. I actually wanted to find you when I got here, but Jordan stopped me." Kirsten confessed slightly surprised by the words that easily fell from her tongue.

"He stopped you?" Sandy questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Well, he hugged me…and then we got to talking. I guess maybe, I got distracted." Kirsten concluded shrugging her shoulders before taking a long sip from her drink. As she did this Sandy swiped her cup from her hand their fingers brushing before she removed her hand. He lifted the cup to his lips taking a sip before placing it back into her awaiting hand.

"Thanks." A smirk took over his face a mischievous glint shining in his eyes causing Kirsten to smile.

"Your welcome."

"Not for the drink…for today, you're amazing!" Sandy said sincerely causing Kirsten to glance down at the lack of space between their bodies.

"Sandy…what are you doing?" Kirsten said softly her eyes moving up to lock with his as they stopped moving to the music but stared into one another's eyes.

"Nothing. What do you mean?"

"Coming over today, stealing me away from Jordan, dancing, telling me I'm amazing…you wanted to be friends. Well friends don't usually bother interrupting the other from getting action."

"Oh, you're getting action…with Jordan?" Sandy asked honestly baffled by what she had just said.

"There's potential…" Kirsten said honestly shrugging her shoulders. "We're friends and I'm being honest with you, there's potential that something could happen between Jordan and I…unless-I-um well I guess it depends on you."

"What do you mean it depends on me?" Sandy asked curiously moving away from Kirsten just a tad.

"Just tell me…are we just friends, or something more?"

They both stared into each others eyes and Kirsten bit down on her lower lip taking a long drink to attempt to calm her nerves. She couldn't believe she had finally just asked Sandy what was going on between them. As she watched his head drop the silence between them caused her heart to beat rapidly against her chest a sharp pain coursed through her and she shook her head. "You can't even answer me…you know what, just forget it Sandy!" Pushing herself away from Sandy Kirsten made her way back into the kitchen downing the rest of her cup. Making her way back into the kitchen her eyes moved around all the bottles and once she found the vodka she began to get herself another drink. With the new liquid encouragement Kirsten began to search for Jordan who she found outside smoking a joint with a few buddies.

Taking a deep breath and a hefty swing from her cup Kirsten made her way towards Jordan who looked rather stoned as well as quite intoxicated. The group was sitting around on lawn chairs babbling about something when Kirsten approached them. She smirked and accepted the joint as it was passed to her and took a hit before taking a seat on Jordan's lap. He smiled as his arms encircled her waist and he pulled her back against his chest pressing a kiss to her shoulder close to the strap of her dress. Kirsten smiled and glanced over her shoulder at him letting her left hand rub up and down his leg. In her opposite hand Kirsten lifted her cup and downed the rest of her drink. She still couldn't believe Sandy's actions, what the hell was his problem?

Watching the rest of the circle take hits Kirsten smiled and gratefully accepted the joint taking a long hit letting the smoke infiltrate her lungs and simmer there for as long as she could hold it in before skillfully blowing it out like Frenchie from Grease. All the guys in the circle cheered their appreciation to her skill before Jordan picked up his cup and took another sip. Kirsten took notice of his half full cup and smirked letting her fingers curl around his cup and brush his fingers before he released his hold and watched as she took a long sip and kept hold of it. Jordan shook his head and kissed the top of her shoulder causing an involuntary shiver to trail down Kirsten's spine. When the joint reached them for the third time since she joined the circle she took a hit and could feel the affects of both the liquor and the pot in her system. Licking her lips Kirsten decided to intoxicate herself further maybe that would stop all thoughts of just how much she liked Sandy. Glancing down at Jordan's amber colored liquid she slowly lifted it to her lips and downed the rest of his cup. After finishing off his drink she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him before leaning in and pressing her lips against his wrapping her arm against his neck willing her body closer to his.

The two broke a part and Jordan smiled lazily up at her before Kirsten pushed his dark blonde hair up on his forehead so she could look into his bloodshot eyes. She smirked slightly and pecked his lips before slowly getting off his lap and beginning to walk towards the house. Tossing him a sideways look as she walked further towards the house. Hearing the cheering from the circle Kirsten rolled her eyes and pushed open the door slapped with the heat that was emitting from the house. Glancing towards the living room she saw Paul and Olivia dancing and laughing at the couple close by them cause the couple that was dancing next to them were embarrassing themselves even Kirsten had to laugh at them. Feeling Jordan's arms wrap around her waist Kirsten bit down on her lower lip and leaned back into his arms holding both of their empty cups in her hand. "I need to get a refill." she simply stated ignoring the annoyed expression he was wearing.

The moment Sandy saw them re-enter the house he found himself watching them carefully. He saw Kirsten stumble over her own two feet several times and it made him nervous. As her friend he felt that he should stop her from making a terrible mistake. Stop her from doing something she would more than likely regret in the morning. Sandy knew from living with Jordan that this is how affectionate he got with girls before he took them back to his room and well he didn't want to think about what might happen behind those doors. Especially with Kirsten, he watched as Kirsten made her way back into the kitchen paying close attention to her as she made her drink. He noticed that she poured far too much vodka into her glass and he even saw her take a long sip of the clear liquid without bothering to chase it. Sandy watched as she blew out a breath of the fiery liquor and took another shot of it. Slowly and with a fumbling of her hands she popped the top off a can of sprite and poured it into her cup swirling the liquids together. Her blue eyes were bloodshot and dilated from the alcohol and apparently the pot as Sandy watched her admire the liquid mix together.

Jordan glanced in front of himself before glancing over at Kirsten clearly getting impatient by how long it was taking her to get a new drink. Moving the cup to her lips Kirsten took a drink of it and smiled her eyes shifting up to lock with Jordan's who leaned in closer to her and clasped her wrist grabbing a hold of the hand her drink was in in as he began to lead her off towards his bedroom. Kirsten smiled slightly allowing Jordan to lead her out of the kitchen and down the hallway towards his bedroom. Her feet moved without her knowledge or effort and the moment Sandy grips onto her free hand its as if everything else slows down. He pulls her away from Jordan informing him that Kirsten is far too intoxicated to be going anywhere but home. There's a bit of a power struggle between Jordan and Sandy, but in the end it's Sandy who wins ushering her over to the front door of the house. The fresh air hits Kirsten hard and she lets out a staggered breath realization dawning on her about the recent events causing anger to bubble up as she pushes Sandy away from herself. "What the hell is your problem Sandy?"

"Kirsten what are you doing?"

"Why do you even care, huh?" She snarls an eyebrow raising in question her foot tapping lightly as she waited for him to respond in some way.

"Because we're friends."

"Exactly. Which means that you can't tell me what to do!"

"Right. Well dangling yourself around other guys making out with them, dancing with them and whatever that's one thing. But letting them lead you off to their bedrooms is another thing."

"So what? It was you, who said I was inexperienced…remember?"

"Well maybe I didn't mean to say it…maybe I take it back!" Sandy said raising his voice at her which surprised Kirsten. She'd never heard Sandy yell at anyone, she stepped back and let her eyes take in his appearance.

"Well would you like to explain what you do mean? Clear the air once and for all?" Sandy makes no attempt to explain his outburst and Kirsten shakes her head glancing down at the wooden panels of the porch. "Well, don't say I didn't ask." She says softly glancing at her feet before going to walk off the porch.

"Wait, stay." He whispers causing Kirsten to pause as her eyes lock with his.

"Why? There's no reason to."

"Sure there is." Their eyes lock and the air is engulfed in a tension that is unlike anything Kirsten has ever experienced and she finds it hard to breath.

"Really? Give me one reason." She ventured hoping that he would take the initiative that he would make the move, she'd come this far already. Gave him a second chance even though some might think he didn't deserve it.

His eyes shifted between her lips and her eyes before he very slowly brushed his lips against hers. That was all that Kirsten needed. Her lips crashed against Sandy's returning the kiss with a little more intensity as her arms naturally twined around his neck pressing her slender frame against his as her fingers tangled in his black hair. Sandy's hands rested against her hips bringing her closer to himself. Reluctantly they parted from one another and Sandy gazed deep into her eyes smiling. "There's something more between us...than just friends."

"Thanks for clearing that one up!" Kirsten said playfully smirking at him before leaning in and pecking his lips softly before her tone turned serious. "I'm sorry…for kissing Jordan."

Sandy laughed and leaned into her kissing her nose smiling as he watched her scrunch it up. "Just don't let it happen again." This got a giggle out of Kirsten who nodded her head in understanding.

"Believe me…it won't. Did you not notice that I needed to get another drink before I let him lead me away?" Kirsten took another drink from her cup draping her arms around Sandy's broad shoulders, leaning in closer to him whispering. "And just so you know, he is a terrible kisser…I felt nothing." She paused and shifted her eyes up to his eyes before glancing down at his lips. "Not like what I feel when you kiss me…" Kirsten couldn't believe she was confessing these sorts of thoughts right to Sandy, it was definitely thanks to the alcohol.

"And what exactly do you feel when I kiss you?" Sandy ventured his eyes boring into Kirsten's as he let his arms circle around her waist while he waited patiently for her answer.

"Things that shouldn't be said out loud…with a house full of people." Kirsten said in a playful tone tipping back her cup and finishing off half of it. With the alcohol and the pot there was no doubt that Kirsten was feeling frisky. Her fingertips on her left hand began to trail lazy patterns across Sandy's clothed chest her eyes focusing on her movements before they moved back up to meet his eyes. A smirk passed between them as he shook his head at her.

"You have no idea what you do to me."

"Why don't you show me?" She shot playfully as her fingers began to fiddle with the collar of his shirt as she leaned her body in close to his. He laughed a little at her suggestion which caused her to pull back and attempt to read the expression on his face. Smiling a little Kirsten leaned in closer her breath spilling against his neck as she whispered into his ear. "Pleaseeeee"

His grip on her hips tightened slightly as he involuntary shivered from the contact of her hot breath against his skin. "Not tonight,"

Kirsten's face fell and she swirled her drink together. "Oh. Okay."

"Come on, you know you'd hate me, as well as yourself if anything like that happened between us tonight." Sandy ventured softly using his hand to lift her chin up so that he could gaze into her eyes.

She didn't give him the satisfaction of meeting his eyes just yet she felt humiliated as if he was rejecting her and she wasn't sure how to take that. After realizing that she couldn't focus on his t-shirt any longer Kirsten shifted her eyes up to meet his, she smiled a little because as he stared into her eyes she knew that he was right. That it wasn't him rejecting her, that it was actually him being a gentleman. It also kind of shocked her that he knew how she would feel about crossing that kind of line under the heavy influence that she was under. "You're adorable you know that?"

"And you're drunk!" He said playfully leaning closer to her and pecking her lips before whispering against her lips. "but still absolutely irresistible."

She giggled and batted her long eyelashes at him before tipping back her cup and polishing off the rest of her drink. Sandy took the opportunity to snatch up her cup.

"I do believe you've had enough.."

"Awe come on!"

"Nope," He said laughing at her pouty expression before he slipped his hand into hers and began to lead her off the porch. "Come on, let me take you home"

"Okay…" Kirsten said not being in the right frame of mind to protest or insist on saying goodbye to Olivia and the rest of her friends inside. As they began to walk down the sidewalk hand in hand Kirsten's head naturally rested on Sandy's shoulder. On their journey he would randomly give her hand a gentle squeeze and it made her smile and look up at him. Several times Kirsten would lean up and press her lips to the side of his face planting a sloppy kiss to his skin. Sandy anticipated that she was going to do this again and turned his face causing their lips to meet with one another's. The two got caught up on the sidewalk only breaking apart as a crack of thunder echoed down at them.

It caused them both to giggle before they gave each other a brief kiss continuing to walk in the direction of Kirsten's dormitory. Just as the building came into sight rain began to fall from the dark sky overhead which only made Sandy laugh. However, Kirsten wasn't sharing his fun, she squealed and bolted for the building dropping his hand in the process. Only to spin around and notice that Sandy had no intention of rushing. Before she could scold him for taking so long he moved quickly capturing her face in his hands and pressing the most intensely passionate kiss Kirsten ever thought she'd experienced. She could feel the kiss in the tips of her fingers, the kiss heightened every nerve ending in her body. She smiled against his lips moving her hands to cling onto his shirt causing their bodies to melt against one another's as the rain poured down on them. At this point she couldn't careless that she was getting soaked from the rain. Kirsten returned the kiss moving her nimble fingers up his chest and teasing the hair at the back of his neck before they slide into his hair pulling his face firm against her own not willing their lips to part just yet.

With every kiss they passed back and fourth the rain didn't slow them down or break their making out. The two were lost in the moment, lost in each other, everything else around them kind of fell away. Ever so slowly Sandy walked with Kirsten towards the side door of the dormitory, where there was a little hanging wall to shelter them from the rain. As Kirsten's back hit the concrete wall she wrapped her arms around Sandy's neck their lips parting only for a second as she stole a quick breath and found his lips once more. They continued on this way for a little while longer until Sandy slowly broke his lips away from Kirsten's in desperate need of air. Kirsten, on the other hand wasn't quite ready to stop making out with Sandy so she leaned her body off the wall and pressed it flush against his. Her teeth captured his bottom lip and tugged on it a little bit before slowly releasing it. Slowly her eyelids fluttered open to gauge her handy work and she smirked when she saw the desire cloud over in Sandy's eyes as he pushed her back against the wall and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. Kirsten was definitely not complaining, she loved kissing Sandy it was so much fun and he was making her feel amazing simply by kissing her.

As a bolt of lightening rippled the air a rumble of thunder followed it causing the pair to reluctantly part from one another leaving light kissing against each other's lips before smiling at one another. Sandy took it a step further and pressed a kiss to her nose then slid skillfully to her right cheek leaving a kiss there. Going even further Sandy pressed a soft kiss to her right ear, then teasingly trailed his lips from her ear to the curve of her neck, before finishing his trail at the bone of her right shoulder. Kirsten shivered from the contact of his warm lips against her wet skin. The moment his lips brushed the curve of her neck Kirsten giggled a little bit her fingers tangling in his hair and playing with it a little bit. "That tickles"

Once Sandy's lips got to the bone in her shoulder he lingered there for a second before lifting his eyes to meet hers smiling. "Sorry," He couldn't help himself as he tucked a stray piece of Kirsten's wet blonde hair behind her ear.

"Its okay. Come on!" Kirsten leaned off the wall and snagged his hand with hers glancing out into the rain has it pelted the sidewalk. "On the count of three? One. Two. Threeeee" Kirsten said as she ran with Sandy to the front door of her dormitory building. She was slightly surprised at how in-sync they were, he kept up perfectly with her, once they got to the door he pulled it open for Kirsten like a gentlemen and they both hurried inside. Nudging each other randomly and speaking in hushed whispers as they made their way up to her floor. After five flights of stairs the pair arrived at Kirsten's floor, stepping into the hallway Kirsten giggled loudly about something and then smacked Sandy's arm playfully as he released her hand and slung an arm around her waist bringing her closer to himself. Several staggered steps later they came to Kirsten's door, Sandy wrapped his other arm around her waist and brought her in front of hiself as he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"No, wait…" Kirsten said her blue eyes big and still pretty bloodshot. "Stay…" she whispered as she let her finger tips tease the hair on the back of his neck.

TBC…

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><p><strong>AN; **Dun dun dun. Will he stay? What's going to happen next? I know, I know that was very mean of me...I just hope the suspense doesn't kill all of you who are actually reading this little piece! hehe( ; It's that time...yes hit that review button and let me know what you're thinking so far! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and a special thanks to those reviewing, you make me continue putting chapters out. Stay tuned! Love you guys. Until next time, mauhh(:


	9. Just a Kiss

**A/N: **Hey y'all, my fourth semester of college has come to a close, nearly a month ago…and I am so beyond relieved. I have found myself with nothing better to do then tan, write songs, write stories, and work on my fanfiction pieces. However, between work, packing, and spending some much needed r&r time with my friends I am excited to be able to focus on writing and continuing this story for you guys! I have actually been rather distracted by "Lucky" a new story that sort of just came pouring out of me so I apologize that I haven't updated this because I've been more focused on that one. Awful I know, that's why I try to limit how many In-Progress stories I have on here. Anywhooooo, the structure is a wee bit different from past chapters but I hope that doesn't hinder you from liking it or from liking this piece as a whole. As always any similarities to other Kandy stories out there is completely **unintended.** Love you guys, this ones for all you loyal readers and reviewers that are maybe possibly still out there! (:

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><p>Lyrical Inspiration:<p>

Just a Kiss- Lady Antebellum

"Lying here with you so close to me

Its hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe

Caught up in this moment

Caught up in your smile

I've never opened up to anyone

So hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms

We don't need to rush this

Let's just take it slow

Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight

Just a touch of the fire burning so bright

No I don't want to mess this thing up

No I don't want to push to far

Just a shot in the dark that you just might

Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life

So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight"

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><p><em>Previously…<em>

_Several staggered steps later they came to Kirsten's door, Sandy wrapped his other arm around her waist and brought her in front of himself as he gave her a gentle squeeze. _

"_So, I'll see you tomorrow?" _

"_No, wait…" Kirsten said her blue eyes big and still pretty bloodshot. "Stay…" she whispered as she let her finger tips tease the hair on the back of his neck._

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: <strong>Just A Kiss

"Kirsten," Sandy replied in a hushed voice his body leaning into hers as he bit down on his lower lip his eyes shifting to her lips then up to lock with her eyes.

"Sandy, you can't walk back in the storm…" Kirsten tried knowing that statement would probably be the one that would make him stay.

"I'll be okay."

"Please just stay until the storm is over, it'll make me feel better knowing your safe." She said softly leaning in closer to Sandy tightening her arms around his neck her hips brushing teasingly against his.

"Alright." He conseeded finally giving into her pleas, it did make him nervous though they just established that there was something beyond friendship between them he didn't want to push things to far.

Turning around in his arms so that her back was pressed firmly against his chest Kristen fumbled with her door handle a little bit finally seeking her keys from her clutch that was securely hanging around her wrist. After fishing around in the small bag for a few seconds she pulled out her keys jamming the key into the lock, turning the key, twisting the door handle opening the door and pulling Sandy inside with her. Once they got inside Kirsten wiggled out of Sandy's arms and began shuffling around the room. Sandy pushed the door closed with his foot and stood close to the door not wanting to tack water throughout her room. Looking up from her movements Kirsten noticed that he seemed to be cemeted into place by the door, she bit down on her lower lip tucking her damp sandy strands behind her ear sniffling as a shiver spiraled down her spine.

"We should probably get out of these wet clothes before one of us catches a cold." Kirsten said as she moved over to her dresser dropping her small clutch to the top of it, as she pulled open one of her dresser drawers and began to rummage around in the small area.

Sandy watched the muscles in her back constrict and twitch along with every movement she made. He shuffled his feet beneath himself nodding his head at her suggestion. "Kirsten, I don't have any other clothes here."

His voice broke her concentration on finding some dry clothes for herself. Twisting her body around her eyes met his and she nodded her head. "Right. Um..-Uh, wait you and Paul are about the same size…I think..wait." She staggered over to the other side of the dorm fumbling around by Olivia's dresser sliding open drawers ruffling through the clothes then shoving it closed. "AhHa!" Kirsten exclaimed as she came across some of Pauls clothes that had made there way over to their dorm. Pulling out a pair of black basketball shorts and a Berkeley tshirt Kirsten walked back over towards Sandy extending the clothes towards him. "Will these work?"

Luckily the rain hadn't done any damage to his boxers, so he wouldn't need to change those. Eyeing the clothes Kirsten presented him with caused him to smile. "Yeah, that's great thanks!" Sandy said leaning in closer to her taking the clothes out of her hands and pressing a kiss to her button nose. The rain mainly did damage to his hair, tshirt, and severely soaked the bottoms of his jeans otherwise he was alright. Kirsten's hair was dripping wet and he watched as she wrapped a towel around it to try and wring out some of the water. Considering she was wearing a dress she was pretty much screwed the material of her red dress clung tightly to her skin, making Sandy bite down on his lower lip as he watched her move around searching for something to wear herself.

After several slammed drawers Kirsten had settled on an outfit her eyes caught her reflection in the mirrior and she shook her head bitting down on her lower lip how was this supposed to work?

"I can wait in the hall while you change?" Sandy offered.

It was as if he read her mind and she momentarily wondered how he did that. How he knew what she was thinking without even seeing her face. Shaking her head Kirsten glanced at him. "No, its okay…could you just help me unzip my dress? I just-I..ugh I can't seem-to uh reach the-uh" Kirsten began as she attempted to unzip her dress all by herself. "Fuck! Damnit!" She said as she failed once again at getting the zipper to break free.

Sandy laughed a little at her anger and stepped up behind her taking the clasp of the zipper and sliding it easily down her back to her pantie line. Kirsten inhaled sharply at the feel of his fingertips against her cool flesh. "There you go.." He whispered into her ear placing a gentle kiss against it as Kirsten clung to the front of her dress so that it wouldn't fall right off of her thin frame.

"Thanks." She whispered back before turning around to face him. "Okay…now turn around and no peeking! You can get dressed too that way you'll be busy and wont be tempted to sneak a peak at me."

"Okay," he said laughing a little bit as he turned around his fingers curling around the hem of his shirt and pulling it off his frame. Kirsten watched him for a second seeing his muscular back bare caused her chest to tighten he was more toned than she imagined. Slowly she turned around and let her dress drop to the floor.

Pushing her panties over her hips Kirsten pulled on a fresh hot pink lacey pair then reached around her back and unclasped her bra letting it slide easily off her shoulders and down her arms. Kirsten dropped the unwanted bra into the heap at her feet and then grabbed a cotton night gown that cut off four inches above her knees. Sandy was finished changing and staring at the wall wanting to abide by Kirsten's terms he didn't want to give her anymore of a reason to push him away. He glanced over his shoulder to see if she was done and saw her pulling her blonde hair out of the back of her night gown and he felt his heart flutter slightly in his chest at the simplicity of her attire. It was simple, yet classic all together turning his face back towards the wall Sandy sucked on his bottom lip. As he stood there tapping his foot lightly and he smirked as he felt her chest press against his back and two small hands cover his eyes.

"Guess who?" Kirsten purred into his ear her hot breath tickling his neck.

"Hmm, Olivia Newton John?" He said in a playful tone which caused Kirsten to lean against him even more.

"Nope…" she whispered brushing her lips against his neck before letting them brush his ear as her teeth clamped down on his earlobe tugging on it a little bit.

"Damn Kirsten," Sandy breathed out she was really trying to make this hard on him.

"Ding ding ding!" She said in a cheerful tone slowly removing her hands from his eyes letting them roll down over the curve of his shoulders before descending further down his back where she wrapped her arms around his waist pressing her body firmly against his resting her forehead against his shoulder as she let her eyes watch him. Sandy turned around in her arms so that he was facing her wearing a smirk on his lips as his eyes took in her appearance. He laughed as his eyes roamed over her profile, leaning into her and tucking her wet blonde hair behind her ear, before using the pad of his thumb to wipe away some of the smudged makeup from underneath her eyes. The simple gesture caused Kirsten to smile leaning her face into the palm of his hand as it gently cupped her face holding it in place. She eyed him a little bit scrunching up her nose clinging onto his middle and pressing her body tight against his.

Sandy smiled at her and held onto her slowly walking them over towards her bed. As he did so he felt her arms tighten around him and her head rest on his chest. Bending his head down Sandy brushed a kiss to the top of her head and slowly tilted her chin up so that he could see her baby blues. As their eyes meet he searched her wide bloodshot orbs and smirked as she leaned up and brushed a gentle kiss to his lips before spinning around and slidding into her bed. After Kirsten got all situated in her bed she looked up at Sandy patting the empty space next to her encouraging him to lay down with her. "Come lay with me," she pleaded softly her voice coming out as a whisper.

He smiled down at her and got into bed next to her, Kirsten scooted closer to him once he was all situated and let her body curl against his. Her legs twined around Sandy's and her arm wrapped across his chest, her hand curling over the bone in his shoulder securing her positon against him. Kirsten fit perfectly against him and as he tilted his head down, he brushed some of her damp blonde hair behind her ear. Their chests moved against one another's their breating in time with each others, it semi-surprised him how connected he was to this girl who couldn't be any more different from him. They were the complete and utter definition of opposites, they had nothing in common but yet neither of them could seem to get enough of the other. It was like a magnetic pole that had Kirsten drawn to him and vise versa.

"I'm so happy that I'm staying!" Sandy said softly referring to the fact that he was staying in Berkeley and had his acceptance letter from Berkeley Law.

Tilting her head upward Kirsten rested her chin against his chest her thumb making lazy circles around the bone in his shoulder. "Me too!" A smile tugged up her lips and she slid up his body easily laying ontop of him. As she hovered over him her blonde hair falling around his face tickling his neck. His eyes focused in on hers and he leaned up brushing her hair away from her face laughing as her hair continued to tickle his neck.

"You were something else tonight you know that?"

"Oh?" Kirsten asked with a lifted eyebrow her eyes probing his.

"Trying to make me jealous and all." Sandy said with a slight smirk.

"Well it worked didn't it? Cause I do believe you tore me away from Brad as soon as I got there…"

He shrugged and let his hands curl around her hips holding her body securely against his. "I guess, I've just been too scared to confront my feelings, to open myself up to anyone after what Rebecca did to me…" As he trailed on Kirsten slid down slightly resting her chin on his chest listening intently to him. "that was until you…I'm not saying that I'm not still guarded but, you're helping bring the wall down." Sandy said softly reaching his hand up as Kirsten slid back to her former position hovering above him. He cupped her cheek and brought her face closer to his, while his thumb gently glided across her law-line.

"Well, I'm glad I can help." Kirsten said softly as their faces drifted closer.

"Me too." Sandy whispered back slowly closing the gap between them. Soon enough the two got caught up in the moment. Lips moving against one another's, tongue's exploring, hands gripping onto each other, and legs twining together. Somehow, Sandy had managed to flip them so now he hovered above Kirsten, he gradually pried his lips from hers and trailed a line of kisses down the curve of her neck.

Kirsten's skin felt like it was on fire with every touch, he was so gentle it amazed her. She had never felt like this before, never had this type of reaction to the slightest of touches, to the simplicity of making out. Sandy was good, very good in this department she was discovering and that only excited her as well as intimidated her. Made her think extra careful about every hand placement, every returned kiss, and every love nip. Her slim fingers tangled in his hair and she pulled his face back up to her own pressing her lips against his firmly her body arching up into his.

Sandy smiled against her lips and his hand slowly slid from her hip to where her nightgown ended and her thigh was exposed. His fingertips lightly skimmed her bare skin, which he found only intensified their kiss as Kirsten's fingers tighten in his hair pulling gently not willing their lips to part. As much fun he was having doing this with her, he knew that if they didn't stop that they'd go to far for her liking. Slowly Sandy pulled back still being able to think rationally. When he did this Kirsten leaned her body off her bed and pressed against Sandy letting her teeth nip his bottom lip playfully. Sandy's eyelids opened and he smiled brushing a soft kiss to her lips before her eyelids fluttered open revealing a pair of beautiful blue eyes.

"We should probably cool down, we don't want to rush this.." Sandy said gently his hand rubbing slowly up and down her thigh before moving back to curl around her hip.

Kirsten gazed up into his eyes and smiled lazily at him brushing some of the black hair that had falling in his eyes out of the way. She nodded her agreement to what he had said and as he rolled off of her Kirsten curled up alongside of him resting her head on his chest. "What was your first impression of me?"

Feeling the vibrations of her voice against his chest Sandy shifted his eyes down to her head and used his free hand that wasn't wrapped around Kirsten to stoke her blonde hair. He bit down on his lower lip as he raked his brain to remember just what his first impression of her was. "Well, for starters I thought you were extremely beautiful, too beautiful for your own good, really. I thought that you were way out of my league, and so when you even agreed to coffee I didn't want to waste my chance that was forsure."

Kirsten smiled widely nodding her head a breathtaking smile tugging up the corners of her lips as she listening to his words. She nodded her head in understanding to what he was saying because intinally she didn't think he was her type but then again maybe she didn't really have a type. The only experience she had was Jimmy, and heand Sandy couldn't have been more different from one another. "I'm glad you insisted on taking me to coffee."

This statement caused Sandy to chuckle lightly. "I'm glad you didn't turn me down."

"Well, I thought about it…for a second." She said giving his chest a gentle rub so that he knew she was definitely happy with her choices. "But the way you looked at me, it made me want to talk to you more." Kirsten said smiling as she tilted her head to the side to get a better look at his entire face.

"Hmm, oh you didn't think about turning me down? Does that have something to do with your first impression of me?" Sandy asked in a playful tone his thumb slowly stroking over her hip bone as he held her close to himself.

Kirsten pushed herself up alongside of him and propped on an elbow making a fist and resting her chin against it. "Yes, I thought about turning you down but only for a split second. The reason why I even thought about turning you down was because you just came off so much different than anyone else I'd ever met before. You were unlike anyone I'd ever met before, and I found that intriguing I wanted to talk to you more, spend more time with you."

They shared a smile with each other before Sandy leaned up and brushed his lips against hers. "I hope I didn't disappoint you."

"Of course you didn't," she said offering him a radiant smile, as she let her fingertips slide up and down his side as she snuggled against him. "If anything after our coffee date I became more intrigued by you."

"Oh really?" he shot playfully leaning in towards her and brushing his nose against hers.

She couldn't help but giggle at his playfullness as she returned his gesture brushing her nose against his. "Really," Kirsten whispered back before dropping a kiss to his lips, once they parted from the kiss Kirsten smiled at him and bit down on her lower lip. "You just have this mysteriousness about you."

"So do you…at first I thought you seemed a bit uptight, but you're showing me this wild side and I love it! You're definitely keeping me on my toes."

At this comment Kirsten laughed it wasn't the first time she'd been viewed as 'uptight' it was usually the first impression that she emitted. "Good, expect it to stay that way," Kirsten said leaning firmly against his body nudging even closer to him. Her nose brushed against his lightly and the depths of her blue eyes stared deep into his greenish blue irises. Kirsten was mesmerized by his eyes momentarily before her lips crashed down against his, her lips parted slightly as she let her tongue slip out and flick against his lower lip. After tracing the a line across his lower lip Sandy obligied and allowed her entrance. Her tongue flicked against his sparking a battle for control, a battle which Kirsten won as her teeth clamped down ontop his tongue giving it a gentle nip before she skillfully broke this kiss, wearing a smirk on her lips.

Sandy gazed up at her through half open eyes and saw her smirking down at him, all he could do was shake his head at her. Reaching up with his left hand Sandy tucked a piece of Kirsten's blonde hair behind her ear. He offered her a smile before leaning off the bed a little and pressing an adoring kiss to her forhead.

With the contact of his warm lips against her forehead Kirsten's eyelids fluttered closed and she slowly slid off of him curling up along his side like she was before. Naturally her head rested on his chest below his right arm that was wrapped around her waist holding her securely against himself. "Goodnight Sandy," she mumered before the mixture of exhastion and alcohol got the best of her.

It was nearly ten minutes before Sandy heard a gentle snore come from the figure curled up alongside of him. He glanced down at her and laughed a little at the series of events that led them back to her dorm, she was really something else. As he gazed down at her Sandy couldn't help but smile his thumb subconsciously making gentle circles around the bone that was popping out from her hip. She was truly nothing like any other girl he'd ever met, and he found that he'd probably follow her anywhere that she wanted to go. Moving slightly Sandy attempted to get more comfortable but being extra careful not wanting to wake her up. Their legs were tangled up together and Sandy found that the warmth Kirsten was providing was rather comforting. A crack of thunder echoed throughout the silent dorm room and Sandy vaguely remembered the lightening setting the room into a brief light before disappearing as he whispered. "Goodnight Kirsten," his eyelids fell over his eyes and he fell off into the darkness of the night.

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><p>"I know that if we give this a little time<p>

It'll only bring us closer to the love we wanna find

It's never felt so real, no its never felt so right"

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><p><strong>AN: **I structured this chapter a little different…but I couldn't help it this song just really inspired the chapter and I wanted to add more than just the first verse and chorus in the beginning. Hopefully it helped complete this chapter or maybe not, I kinda like it though if I do say so myself( ; Sorry that it's sort of shorter than the past chapters but I've been pretty preoccupied. love you guys! Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. Now if you'd be so kind, I love to hear what you're thinking…what's working, and maybe what's not? What you like, or don't like. I'd be pleased and so touched if you hit that little review button and let me know! Hehe Until next time loves, mauhhh( :


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